After picking exclusively defencemen with their first three picks at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks took three forwards in the fourth round.
First up was Ty Mueller, a 20-year-old centre in his third year of draft eligibility.
The 5’11” Mueller caught the eye of some scouts in his draft year with his skating, stickhandling, and vision, but his limited production in Junior A — 41 points in 65 games in the AJHL — left him undrafted. He had 13 points in 24 games in his freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, then put up 25 points in 34 games as a sophomore this past season.
While Mueller was left entirely unranked by scouts in the public sphere, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see him drafted, even if the fourth round was a little higher than expected.
“Skaters who score at the rate Ty Mueller has to this point in his two-season college career are almost exclusively draft picks,” reads his scouting report from Elite Prospects. “That Mueller has managed to keep pace after battling injuries in his sophomore season on one of the more anemic offences in the country just makes it all that much more impressive.”
In other words, Mueller's 38 points in 58 games in the NCAA is the type of production that you'd expect to see from a player who got drafted in their first year of eligibility. In a way, the Canucks were just correcting an anomaly.
Scouting reports describe Mueller as a jack of all trades, master of none type of player. He clearly has some offensive talent, with decent hands in traffic. He has a little bit of scoring ability, a dash of playmaking, and is reliable defensively.
“He’s a capable two-way forward, with good supporting instincts away from the puck, mostly sound reads with it, and sufficiently fleet of foot,” says Elite Prospects. “There wasn’t any assignment that the 5-foot-11 centre wasn’t up to last season.”
The trouble is that there’s little indication of a standout, high-end ability that will separate him from the pack and turn him into an NHL player.
While his skating is fine at the NCAA level, he doesn’t have high-end mobility or separating speed. While he can score goals in college, he doesn’t have an above-average shot. He has decent vision and passing, but scouting reports describe the lack of deception in his playmaking, too often telegraphing his passes.
Still, there’s reason for optimism in Mueller’s potential because of his ability to produce in college hockey and his well-rounded game. The Canucks definitely need depth in their prospect pool at centre and Mueller will help.
