Sharks prospect talks flying jitters, Smith & Celebrini, his trade request
SAN JOSE – Sharks prospect Quentin Musty boarded a commercial flight with the San Jose Barracuda to Southern California on Tuesday, a departure from the long bus rides he experienced as a member of the Sudbury Wolves for the last four years in the Ontario Hockey League.
Still, even as Musty begins his pro career, a big part of him will miss those bus rides.
“Still getting used to the flying. I didn’t fly much as a kid, and it’s a little scary for me,” Musty said Tuesday at Tech CU Arena after his first practice with the Barracuda. “Just exposure to it will really help me. But yeah, not a fan of it yet.”
Musty, drafted 26th overall by the Sharks in 2023, likely will not play Wednesday when the Barracuda plays Coachella Valley in Palm Desert. Coach John McCarthy said the team would like to give the 19-year-old forward a bit more time to become familiar with his new environment.
But Musty, who had 270 points in 189 regular-season games with Sudbury over four seasons, appears slated to make his pro debut in one or two games this weekend when the Barracuda hosts Ontario on Friday and Saturday.
The Barracuda will have four games remaining after Wednesday’s pivotal road game against Coachella Valley, which is in fourth place with 79 points, four points ahead of San Jose. The division winner earns a bye for the first round of the playoffs, and the teams that finish second through fourth will each host a best-of-three opening round series.
The top seven teams in the Pacific Division make the playoffs, and San Jose is on the verge of clinching its first postseason spot since 2021. The Barracuda are nine points ahead of eighth-place Bakersfield, which has 66 points.
“It’ll be fun when it comes and hopefully everything goes well,” Musty said of his pro debut. “It’s a playoff race here, too. I know I just got here, but it’s important for me to try and help this team win.”
While Musty will naturally have to adjust from major junior to the AHL, McCarthy feels the 6-foot-2, 205-pound winger can be an asset to the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“From what I’ve seen in the rookie tournament and watching his film, I think he can help us,” McCarthy said. “It’s an adjustment for any younger player coming from college or junior, there’s habits and everyday type of things that need to be drilled into them.”
Musty dealt with a minor upper-body injury late in the year but had four points in three playoff games with Sudbury. The team was swept in a best-of-7 series against Kingston in the first round of the OHL playoffs.
It’s been an up-and-down year for Musty, who requested a trade from Sudbury and sat out the season’s first month. He returned to the team on Nov. 1, but sustained a broken hand on Nov. 24 and didn’t play again until Jan. 12. He finished the regular season with 59 points in 33 games.
Musty, a native of Western New York, reiterated that his trade request came down to wanting to be on a competitive team after Sudbury lost several key players from its 2023-24 team, which won 38 of 68 games and advanced to the second round of the OHL playoffs.
“I love (Sudbury) and I kind of grew up there,” Musty said. “But I figured it’d be my last year in the league — there’s still some chance that I go back next year — but I just wanted to win in my last year, and it didn’t look like we could have done that with the roster at the beginning of the year.
“But once (Sudbury’s front office) told me they were going to make some moves, I was more than happy to stay and more than happy to be a big part of that team. We all tried our hardest there and just didn’t get the result we wanted.”
When the Sharks returned Musty to the OHL midway through training camp, coach Ryan Warsofsky said that while the prospect did well during September’s Rookie Faceoff event in Los Angeles, he still had a lot to learn.
Musty credited Sudbury’s coaching staff, which includes former Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins, with helping him develop certain aspects of his game, including taking fewer penalties per game.
“They were just trying to (make) me better, getting me ready for the pro game,” Musty said. “Just the defensive side of things, they were really keen on. I got the opportunity to kill some penalties this year and get some big minutes towards the end of close games. It really helped my game and made me more confident in the defensive zone, and hopefully that can translate over to here.”
Musty is the latest player from the Sharks’ last three draft classes under general manager Mike Grier to make the jump to professional hockey. Others include forwards Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, who signed their entry-level contracts last year, defenseman Luca Cagnoni, who moved from the Western Hockey League to the pro ranks in the fall, and forward Cam Lund, who signed an entry-level deal in March.
Assuming he continues to progress, Musty figures to get a taste of the NHL at some point next season, joining Smith, Celebrini, and possibly other recent picks on the Sharks roster.
“Those guys, you can see they’re ready,” Musty said of Celebrini and Smith. “But I’ve got a lot of work to do if I want to make that jump. It’ll be a fun summer of just working hard, and hopefully I’m ready for next year.”
For now, it’s just about becoming more comfortable in his new environment, starting with flying instead of riding on a bus.
“Those are the best, though. I’m going to miss that for sure,” Musty said of the time spent on the road. “But everything here is going to be a learning experience for me. Just around the rink, the flying, everything, it will take some getting used to, but it’s exciting.”