Friday Film Room – Casey Mutryn, Tyson Jugnauth

Welcome back to Friday Film Room, our offseason Seattle Kraken prospects series here at Sound Of Hockey. Today, we’ll look at gameplay video, data, and analysis of forward Casey Mutryn, the No. 38 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, a prospect from the 2022 draft who has taken a circuitous route to a significant role with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and NHL relevance.

If you like these breakdowns, stop by every Friday because we’ll cover two prospects per week (one 2026 Kraken draft pick and one other organization prospect) until Kraken players are back on the ice for training camp this fall.

Any suggestions or questions for future posts? Please let us know below or on social media at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

Casey Mutryn | Winger | Boston College Eagles (NCAA)

Profile: Right shot | 18 years old | 6-foot-3 | 203 lbs | 2026 Seattle Kraken second-round pick (unsigned)

Summary: Casey Mutryn’s game is built around relentless effort, physicality, and hard skill along the boards and at the net front. He creates offense by protecting pucks under pressure, moving play from the perimeter into dangerous areas, and finding teammates through traffic. He works well in cycles and can execute pro-caliber passing sequences.

His effective forechecking, defensive awareness, and puck-retrieval ability give him a high NHL floor. Flashes of creativity and offensive processing hint at even more upside. Areas for development include some technical and mechanical skating aspects, as well as improving his shot efficiency and finishing skills.

Video: Mutryn is a right-shot forward wearing No. 12 in white.

Strengths:

• Very good athlete, projectable frame (6-foot-3), and from an athletic family (brother Teddy was drafted by San Jose).
• Relentless forechecker with an elite motor and consistent second efforts.
• Recognized by teammates and coaching staff as a leader off the ice; was captain for Team USA at the 2026 U18 World Championship.
• Powerful, physical, hard-to-play-against presence who finishes checks effectively.
• Excellent at getting the puck off the boards and making plays in the center lane with vision and touch.
• Strong puck protection using size, strength, and reach.
• Can create space for himself to make plays with the puck through a combination of tight-area skating and physicality.
• Exceptional in puck-battle scenarios, winning consistently.
• Reliable defensive habits, backchecking, and penalty-killing value.
• Good hockey sense with quick puck movement and strong “head-up” scanning habits.
• Shows diverse passing skills to create offense, including one-touches, deceptive looks, and cross-seam distribution.
• Drives the middle lane regularly to create offense off the puck.
• Willing and effective net-front presence, capable of screening, deflections, and rebound creation.
• Straight-line speed and power allow him to pressure defenders and separate with space.
• Flashes transition ability to match his power-forward cycling skills in the offensive zone.
• Adaptable, complementary player capable of fitting multiple lineup roles.

Weaknesses:

• Though his skating has not hindered him yet and is solid for a power player his size, his mechanics could use refinement to improve recovery and four-way agility.
• Skating can lack explosiveness from a standstill and in lateral movement.
• Needs to add more mass and strength to his frame to translate his hard skills to the professional level, and needs to do so without further hindering his skating.
• His point production has not been indicative of an impact offensive player; he can disappear from the scoresheet for stretches despite significant physical skills.
• Can default to linear power attacks instead of creating better offensive options.
• Needs to leverage his ability to carry possession and dictate play more consistently.
• It remains to be determined whether he has the processing speed under pressure to create plays at the professional level.
• Finishing ability and shot are below average at this stage and remain secondary to his playmaking.
• More of a complementary offensive piece than a primary puck mover or play driver.
• Ceiling depends on continued skating development and more frequent offensive execution.

System rank: 5-10 (projected NHL role player).

Notes: Casey Mutryn projects as a power-oriented, two-way winger who can complement teammates up or down the lineup and contribute on the penalty kill. He brings hard skill at the net and along the boards, as well as puck-retrieval ability, to go with defensive chops and some playmaking through traffic. The floor appears to be very high.

Mutryn looked like he could still grow into his 6-foot-3 frame a bit more at Development Camp, and he will get that opportunity while playing an NCAA schedule with access to NCAA fitness and training resources this season. His upside depends on simultaneous physical maturation and skating technique development.

This would fully unleash his ample athleticism and realize his power-forward scoring potential, which has been more hypothetical than actual to date. He has not yet broken out as an offensive player, and I wonder if he will get the opportunity to do that in the short term, given this significant leap in competition.

More video: 1/18/26 v. Green Bay Gamblers (No. 12 in white)

Tyson Jugnauth | Defenseman | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Profile: Left shot | 22 years old | 5-foot-11 | 183 lbs | 2022 Seattle Kraken fourth-round pick (signed)

Summary: Tyson Jugnauth is an instinctual and offensively gifted puck-moving defenseman. He strives to control the flow of the game with efficient retrievals, breakouts, and sustained offensive possession. With the puck on his stick, he is deceptive and intelligent in his distribution. He can also manipulate defenders with changes of pace in transition and agile blue-line movements. He deploys various body positions and fakes to create outlet opportunities after retrieving the puck. He has an effective shot from the blue line, getting the puck through layers for goals, rebounds, and shot passes. When he roves into the offensive zone, his playmaking and shot play up even further with a forward-like skill level. He projects to run a power-play unit at the NHL level.

That said, when Jugnauth is not controlling possession, he has limited defensive value, particularly in the defensive zone. Jugnauth shows inconsistent engagement, spotty defensive instincts, and average skating explosiveness. Coupled with limited stature (5-foot-11) and physicality, Jugnauth’s projection as an NHL regular remains to be determined.

Video: Jugnauth is a left-shot defenseman wearing No. 43 in white.

Strengths:

• Very good awareness and playmaking ability from the blue line.
• Excellent deception skills, using eyes, body positioning, and stick movement to manipulate opponents.
• Strong transition game with clean breakouts, controlled zone entries, and accurate long-range passes.
• Consistently identifies teammates as passing options, including cross-ice and high-danger inside feeds.
• Effective at walking the blue line and creating shooting lanes through lateral movement.
• Good hockey sense and anticipation, especially when reading passing lanes.
• Comfortable activating offensively and joining rushes as an extra attacker.
• Good at changing pace to create separation despite lacking top-end explosiveness.
• Displays confidence handling the puck under pressure and making creative plays.
• Shows power-play upside due to vision, puck distribution, and ability to open seams.
• Has worked hard, making sacrifices and difficult off-ice choices (including leaving college to return to junior) in an effort to advance his career; seemingly has the necessary off-ice desire to make it.
• Affable personality would seem to be a positive and well suited to professional stresses.
• Has made solid improvements in his physicality since turning pro.

Weaknesses:

• Despite some steps in his physical development, he’s still slight in build, and it will never be an area of advantage.
• Lack of height (5-foot-11) and reach limits his potential defensive impact.
• Defensive game remains underdeveloped and difficult to project as adequate at the NHL level; he needs to avoid defending as much as possible.
• Lacks explosiveness and closing speed when defending faster attackers.
• Skating stride and acceleration are only average, limiting recovery ability and gap control.
• Needs to improve defensive engagement, particularly along the boards and in one-on-one battles.
• Limited awareness and success when engaged at the net front.
• Can watch the puck at times and miss developing threats away from the play.
• Defensive-zone reads and coverage responsibilities require refinement for higher levels of play.
• Offensive creativity can lead to risky decisions and turnovers.
• Could continue to improve his ability to draw defenders and create space at higher pace levels.

System rank: 5-10 (projected NHL role player).

Notes: Last summer, Jugnauth demonstrated his commitment to improving his game and taking his conditioning seriously. He then earned offensive deployments and a second-unit power-play quarterback role in his first professional season. The productivity was impressive. He led all AHL rookie defensemen in assists (36) and points (45) and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

That said, Jugnauth does not play impactful in-zone defense. He looks to avoid defending with clean retrievals and possession control. It’s an approach that can succeed in the NHL in a sheltered role if the defensive aspects can materialize at least a bit more. That has to be the focus in his second professional season. With incremental gains in that area, a Shayne Gostisbehere-type career is not out of the question.

His profile (undersized, average-skating defenseman) has the most difficult path to NHL minutes. A team will need to have a role in mind for him, complementary blue-line pieces around him, and the commitment to stick with him through inevitable defensive challenges. If a team can do that, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is rewarded with a solid NHL career.

More video: May 17, 2026 v. Colorado Eagles (No. 43 in white)

More Friday Film Room

July 17, 2026: Chase Reid, Eduard Sale

July 24: 2026: Finn Kearns, Carson Rehkopf