2023 NHL Draft Countdown – No. 25-21: Ethan Gauthier, Cal Ritchie, Mikhail Gulyayev, Quentin Musty, Brayden Yager

Over the next few weeks leading into the 2023 NHL Draft, we’ll be counting down the Top 100 prospects in this year’s class based on Daily Faceoff’s list. Today, we have No. 25 Ethan Gauthier, No. 24 Cal Ritchie, No. 23 Mikhail Gulyayev, No. 22 Quentin Musty, and No. 21 Brayden Yager.

Scouting Report: “One of my favourite players from a style perspective, Gauthier is fierce, aggressive and never stops moving. He saw his offensive output jump by 30 points to a nice 69 this year, establishing himself as a strong goal-scorer. His power-forward style suits him well in a middle-six role.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff 

Scouting Report: “What Ritchie lacked in high-end offence this year, he made up for in extra defensive responsibility and more willingness to engage physically. And while he only had a point per game in the OHL, he decimated the Hlinka Gretzky with Canada before the season started. He’s going to be a dependable two-way center in the NHL.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff 

Scouting Report: “Gulyayev had confidence to burn in the MHL this year, looking like a man among kids. He uses the open space to his advantage and is fairly quick in bursts. He’ll bring value as a puck-moving transitional defender.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff 

Scouting Report: “While I’d love to see Musty produce a bit more, he has enough pro qualities – quick release, high top-speed and active scanning – that I’m confident in the right team turning him into a great top-six scoring winger. He’s just physically built like a tank, too.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff 

Scouting Report: “Statistically, 78 points in a draft year is solid. He had 50 assists and showed he can be a highlight-reel machine. But there have been enough off-games to get some scouts concerned. He can play all situations, but he rarely engages physically and most scouts wanted to see more goals out of him. I like him as a complementary winger more than a center down the road.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff