After choosing defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson and forwards Sandis Vilmanis and Josh Davies at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito selected goaltender Tyler Muszelik in the sixth round (189th overall).
Muszelik appeared in 16 USHL games with the United States National Team Development Program during his draft season, posting a 10-3-2 record, 3.71 GAA and .900 save percentage. Over 34 career USHL games with the USNTDP, Muszelik registered a 15-13-4 record.
On the international stage, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Long Valley, NJ represented the United States in two games at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, earning victories in both outings and brought home a silver medal.
Last year, Neutral Zone was kind enough to provide Litter Box cats with a chunk of intel on Muszelik, They had him graded as a C+ prospect (low probability of playing NHL games, but has some NHL potential) and ranked 211th in its final draft rankings.
C me: He is a 6’2″ athletic goaltender with high-end anticipation and play reading abilities. While in the butterfly he has the flexibility to keep his hips high which allows him to pounce on rebounds. He had a 0.900 sv% against USHL competition and a 0.909 sv% at the U18 World Championships. He is going to the University of New Hampshire and will be counted on to play heavy minutes early in his college career.
C me not: His overall skating ability is average. He is still developing his explosive lateral movement.
U20: 2022 NHL Draft Eligible Goalie Report, December 2021: Last 5 game snapshot- Tyler is on a hot streak of 5 wins in a row for the always strong US NTDP U-18 team. He was very good in three recent international games against Sweden, Czechia, and Finland, only letting in 5 goals against in 3 games. The other two games were wins over the Adrian Bulldogs Division III where he was not great, but good enough to get his team the win. His skating abilities are average, but he makes up for it by using his size to his advantage and has great play-reading ability. Tyler does a good job of staying square to the puck and presenting his hands to the shooter to take away the top corners. He also keeps his hips up in his butterfly to be as big of a target as possible, which in turn allows him to be quick to get rebound chances. One thing Tyler struggles with is his ability to explode across the crease on lateral plays. His skating ability tends to get exposed on scrambles around the net and 2-on-1 situations that are passed across the midline of the ice.
After attending development camp with the Panthers, Muszelik enrolled at the University of New Hampshire, where he posted a 4-7-2 record and 3.24 GAA in 14 appearances as a freshman. He finished the season with .883 save percentage and recorded his first collegiate shutout with a 29-save effort in a 1-0 shootout win over Maine on February 18. He was named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week twice.
Earlier this month, Muszelik made a second appearance at development camp where he shared the net with fellow Panthers Spencer Knight, Olof Glifford, and Ludovic Waeber as well as invitees Cooper Black and Charlie Robertson.
Muszelik got the start for Team White in the scrimmage that was held on the final day and surrendered four goals in the first half of what turned out to be a 6-3 win for Team Red.
Before returning to New Hampshire for his sophomore season. Muszelik will see some more on-ice action as he earned a invite to the 2023 USA Hockey’s World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, MI. He is one of 45 American players expected to attend.
The Showcase, which starts game-play today and runs to August 4, will also include players from Finland and Sweden, is held to evaluate athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.