Hamburg native Quentin Musty knows he has an audience and thanks to those that came before him, he can visualize the impact he wants to have.

"Obviously Patrick Kane was a big role model for me,” he said. “He lived a couple of minutes from me. And then Case McCarthy as well. Just coming out from here and playing with his younger brother. Those two were pretty big role models for me and I just want to, you know, be that for some younger kids from this area.”

After going first overall in the 2021 OHL Draft, Musty is project top prospect in the upcoming NHL Draft.

"I don't feel too much pressure right now ... I like to take things one step at a time," Musty said. "And yeah, I mean, after the Combine, it's kind of just a waiting game. You're still, you know, you're still training, trying to get better, you know, skating and in the gym. But, you know, I don't really mind wherever I get picked. I'm just hoping to get drafted and just go to camp and perform from there. That's when, I guess you could say the pressure starts."

Two years ago, Musty told Spectrum News 1 Buffalo that he set his sights on becoming a top NHL prospect. Today, he is projected as such after two seasons in the OHL where he followed up a 31-point (12+19) rookie campaign with a 78-point (26+52) sophomore season.

"Just going to the OHL, in my first year [I] struggled a little bit with injuries and playing, bouncing in and out of lineups,” he said. “I just kind of took last summer to kind of reflect on that and just try and make myself a better player and just, obviously, doing the basic things like stay in the gym and skating, like I did today. I think just last year my game kind of took off. I was playing with more confidence."

The 17-year-old knows what he brings to the table as a creative playmaker with an innate hockey sense.

"It’s something that, you know, I've been kind of gifted with since I was young ... I like finding teammates,” he said. “I say I'm a pass first guy and just, you know, like setting up my guys and just trying to win games pretty much as my drive, just doing whatever I can do, making simple plays and just trying to score more goals than the other team. It's pretty…pretty simple like that. But yeah, that's kind of just where my drive comes. I just want to do what's best for the team."

At 6'2", the Junior Sabres alum has the frame of a power forward, but knows size isn't everything. Musty's film makes it clear that he has keen vision beyond being a looming body on ice.

"You see guys like Connor Bedard, who are 5'8", 5'9" and they're, you know, the best players in the world ... you can't just be a straight line power forward anymore," Musty explained. "Like I think I have a lot of playmaking attributes as well and I think that's makes me get the plays I am right now. I think I have the qualities of a power forward just because of my size and speed and I'm not afraid to go to the corners and stuff, but I think my games are a lot more developed than just to be that."

These days, he likes to watch and emulate Ottawa's left winger Brady Tkachuk.

"He's really good," Musty said. "He's a big guy and he uses his frame and side as well, but also kind of knows when to use a skill. And he's not afraid of getting in the dirty areas and competing for pucks that way. So I like to watch him and try him on the game after him."

Next up for Musty: the 2023 NHL Combine, right in his backyard at the Marriott Harborcenter in Buffalo.