Under general manager Bill Zito, the Florida Panthers like to go goalie late in the NHL draft and at the 2022 event at Montreal’s Bell Centre, that’s exactly what they did, selecting Tyler Muszelik in the sixth round with 189th overall pick.
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 compiled a 15-13-4 record.
On the international stage, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Long Valley, New Jersey 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.
Back in 2023, Neutral Zone was kind enough to provide Litter Box Cats with a bit of intel on Muszelik, They had him graded as a C+ prospect (low probability of playing NHL games, but has some NHL potential) and at 211th in its final draft rankings, not too far from where he was ultimately taken by the Cats.
C me: He is a 6’3″ 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.
After attending his first development camp with the Panthers, Muszelik began play at the University of New Hampshire, where he went 4-7-2 with a 3.24 GAA in 14 appearances as a freshman. He finished the season with .883 save percentage and recorded his first NCAA shutout with a 29-save effort in a 1-0 shootout win over the Maine Black Bears on February 18. He was named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week twice.
In 2023, Muszelik made a second appearance at development camp where he shared the net with fellow prospects Spencer Knight, Olof Glifford, and Ludovic Waeber as well as invitees Cooper Black and Charlie Robertson. He got the start for Team White in the scrimmage that was held on the camp’s 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 earned an invite to the 2023 USA Hockey’s World Junior Summer Showcase. While he acquitted himself well, he did not make the roster for 2024 World Junior Championship as Team USA took Trey Augustine, Jacob Fowler and Sam Hillebrandt to Sweden for the high-prolfie tournament.
Unfortunately, Muszelik’s second season at New Hampshire went much like his first as he failed to establish himself as the starter and appeared in a scant eight games. He finished his sophomore campaign with a 5-3 record and posted a 3.38 GAA and .874 save percentage. He did record his second career shutout in a 1-0 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on December 9.
In April of 2024, frustrated by a lack of playing time, Muszelik used the transfer portal to make a move to the Connecticut Huskies, who were looking for another goaltender to pair with fellow 20-year-old, Callum Tung while freshman Thomas Heaney served as the third stringer. Tung entered the NCAA after three seasons with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Interestingly, both Muszelik and the undrafted Tung attended development camp in Fort Lauderdale that summer. Each of the future Huskies surrendered one goal during the final day scrimmage, with Muszelik yielding a breakaway marker to Oliver Okuliar and Tung surrendering the game-winner to Josh Davies.
The 2024-25 season saw Muszelik come into his own and get the lion’s share of work for UConn, making 23 appearances and finishing his junior year with a 12-6-3 record, although it was Tung who started the team’s two games at the NCAA tournament. Muszelik made a total of 530 saves and posted a .914 save percentage to go along with a 2.28 GAA. He recorded one shutout and also assisted on two goals. He was named Connecticut Ice Most Valuable Player for winning both games in the four-team tournament involving the Huskies, Quinnipiac, Yale and Sacred Heart, who he blanked 1-0 in the final.
The then 21-year-old was again at development camp last summer, starting the scrimmage game for Team Red. He recorded a shutout during the first half, making a key save on 2025 fourth-rounder Shea Busch during a 2-on-2 rush.
Muszelik’s senior season was a resounding success. He started (and finished) 35 of team’s 38 games and posted a 19-11-5 record with a 2.21 GAA, .926 save percentage, 967 total saves and three shutouts. His first shutout of the campaign came against Merrimack on December 5, and then he blanked Northeastern on February 6 and Maine a week later in consecutive starts. After advancing to the championship game of the Hockey East tournament, where they lost 2-1 to Merrimack, UConn earned an at-large berth to the 2026 NCAA tournament. The final game of his collegiate career came in a 2-1 loss to Michigan State to open the Worcester Regional. He finished the tilt with 20 saves as the Huskies gave the top-seeded Spartans all they could handle.
After making big strides as a junior, Muszelik was even better in his senior season, posting NCAA bests in starts (35), wins (19), goals against average (2.21), save percentage (.926) and shutouts (3), earning a two-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on March 30.
Muszelik’s got the size and ceiling to become a solid professional. With Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk set to return as the top two netminders in Charlotte, look for Muszelik to start the season with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates before he makes a bid for AHL playing time.