2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profiles: Carter Amico, Teddy Mutryn, and Nicolas Sykora
Upside Hockey's NHL Draft profile series: American Edition Volume 12, 13, and 14
Upside Hockey’s prolific prospect profiler Trevor Curtis’s 2025 NHL draft eligible prospect profiles are all featured on our dedicated page for this with all featured prospects indexed in our table of contents alphabetically by last name. For the 2024 NHL Draft, we had well over 200 prospect profiles completed.
RD Carter Amico (6'5", 205lbs)
NTDP: 13gp/ 0g/ 3a/ 3pts, even, 10 PIM
(as of January 13, 2025)
D Carter Amico was given a "B" grade to start the season by Central Scouting, indicating a possible 2nd, or 3rd-round pick- not bad for a stay-at-home defenseman who has never put up big numbers. Unfortunately for Amico, he suffered a season-ending injury in November that required surgery on his leg. Obviously, he will always be a shutdown guy, and he possesses high-end defensive IQ, making sound proactive reads to snuff plays as early as the neutral zone. He's used heavily on the penalty-kill, and excels in this area. Amico is positionally sound, and displays the ability to block shots, clog lanes, and intercept passes with his awareness and anticipation, as well as his well-timed stick. His reach is one of his biggest weapons, and he uses it to keep attackers to the outside, as well as to lift sticks and poke pucks away from danger. Amico uses his size effectively, and is a physical brand of defender who likes to initiate contact often and early- along the boards, in the corners, and in front of the net.
Amico plays a safe, simple game but usually makes the smart play- he doesn't try to do too much, as that's when he gets into trouble. In the offensive zone, he always has one foot metaphorically in the defensive zone, and doesn't often get involved in any meaningful way. Despite this, he does own a fairly hard and heavy point shot, coupled with the propensity to get it on net pretty consistently, even through traffic. He uses his shot as a playmaking tool to serve up tips and rebounds to his teammates. His stickhandling is actually quite good, and he can be of some use in transition, but only if he doesn't try anything risky- his stretch passes are mostly ineffective, and his first-pass often consists of a rim off the boards when he feels pressure- which can result in turnovers. When he has a modicum of time and space, he usually makes the right play to start the breakout. Amico's mobility is a concern when it comes to his explosiveness and acceleration, as it takes too long to get to full throttle, but when he gets going his top-speed is excellent for a player of his size. It's hard to say where Amico will be taken exactly, because of the injury, but it's a good bet he won't be around after the middle of the 3rd-round, and most likely will still go in the second. He is committed to Boston University, like many in the NTDP seem to be, for the 2026-27 season.
RHC Teddy Mutryn (6'1",207lbs)
Chicago Steel (USHL): 27gp/ 11g/ 7a/ 18pts, -5, 52 PIM
Teddy Mutryn deserves more attention, and he would no doubt have more fanfare if he wasn't toiling for the Chicago Steel, who are 14th out of 16 teams in the USHL, and are 5th-worst in goals-for. In December's World Junior-A Challenge, Mutryn performed well, and posted 4 assists in 5 games while showcasing his pace-pushing heavy game. He did much of the same in the summer at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, with 3 points in 5 games for a Team USA that left some of their best players at home. Mutryn is a highly-intelligent, well-rounded power-forward with solid IQ who often seems to be a step or two ahead of the play with his keen anticipation in all 3 zones. He's seen as a complete player who makes things happen all over the ice and versatile in the way he can play all 3 forward positions. His prime weapon is his finishing ability, which includes a hard, heavy shot with an even better release, and soft hands for beating goalies in-tight. He's always a threat to score, as he can get his shot off with very little time or space to work with, or under heavy checking pressure. He will set up shop in front of the net in order to set up the screen, and fish for tips and rebounds.
Though his goal-scoring stands out, Mutryn often flashes a solid playmaking dimension and can connect with teammates through traffic, but is also proficient at sniffing out soft spots in coverage to exploit, and can delay to draw defenders in to open space to pass into. He is an above-average skater with a long, powerful stride and a peppy short-area burst who is strong on the puck and displays good protection skills that make it very difficult to strip him of the puck. Mutryn employs a very physical style, and is uncommonly strong; he rarely gets outmuscled and plays hard on the boards, grinding opponents down and playing an agitator role. Down low and around the net, he's like a shark circling, and executes retrievals in both ends of the rink by force- he's dangerous and highly disruptive on the forecheck, and wins pucks on the backcheck before starting the breakout. In his own end, he's very reliable, supports teammates in battle, blocks shots willingly, and aids his D down low. He plays a high-pressure game, removing time and space from puck-carriers all over the zone from the points to below the goal-line, and causes turnovers in all 3 zones with a well-timed stick. He's highly aware defensively, and plays a detailed game when it comes to snuffing out his opponents attack. In all situations, he plays with passion, intensity, and a relentless motor.
There's a lot to like in this package, and a very translatable game. Mutryn hasn't proven himself to be a high-level points-producer yet, but he has tons of potential and excellent tools. There's also a high NHL floor. I really like this kid, and I think scouts do as well, so I would guess that he's selected in the latter half of the second round, to the early third round of this summer's draft. He has committed to Boston College for 2026-27.
LW Nicolas Sykora (6'0", 174lbs)
Omaha Lancers (USHL): 17gp/ 6g/ 1a/ 7pts, -8, 0 PIM
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL): 18gp/ 8g/ 9a/ 17pts, +4, 4 PIM.
Winger Nicolas Sykora, the son of former NHLer Petr Sykora, must have felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he was traded from the last-place (and lowest-scoring) team in the USHL, the Omaha Lancers, to the Sioux City Musketeers- a team that currently occupies the 7th-spot in league standings, but has the 4th-best goals-for. He responded by going from .41 ppg with Omaha, to .94 ppg with Sioux City, possibly rescuing his draft stock. Before the season began, Central Scouting saw fit to award him the grade of "C", denoting a possible 4th, or 5th-round pick, and I doubt that grade has changed- even with his new lease on life, numbers-wise. Sykora is an offensive-minded winger with sharp awareness and keen anticipation, but he's a bit one-dimensional- although he's trying to improve.
Sykora's best tool is his deep arsenal of shots- including a superb curl-and-drag wrister, a laser of a one-timer, and a hard, heavy, and often pinpoint accurate wrister. Built-in to his shot is a wicked release that he can get off in heavy traffic, or at full-flight, and he expertly uses defenders as screens. The puck simply explodes off of his stick, and he can pick corners with it. He goes to the net for second-chance opportunities, and has the timing and hand-eye coordination to get tips. Sykora is a volume-shooter and his off-puck intelligence is a huge facilitator for his exploits; he locates space to move around in high-danger areas, and slips in-and-out of the slot to get in position to shoot. Playmaking is more of a secondary weapon, but he exhibits good spatial awareness and solid hockey sense to find his teammates in open space with fine-touch passing skill, showing the ability to connect over and under his opponents' sticks.
Unfortunately, Sykora is a rather average skater with deficient acceleration, and it pervades many areas of his game. He doesn't hold on to the puck for very long, relying on quick touches and by moving the puck up the ice with give-and-goes- he does most of his skating off the puck. He defers to his teammates to carry through transition most of the time, and doesn't often lead the rush- his entries consist mostly of dump-ins. Sykora will get involved physically, but not very often- he's doesn't get his hands dirty enough in puck battles, and seems content to let his linemates do most of the digging and other dirty work. In his own zone, he seems to have improved over last season, but his effort and engagement have peaks and valleys; he shows a somewhat responsible defensive dimension with solid positioning and anticipation, but he could be far more disruptive. He employs a fairly good stick to pressure opponents and clog lanes, and when it's time for the breakout, he positions himself well to be an option for a pass. Overall, he needs to improve his intensity and his workrate in all areas. Sykora has committed to Quinnipiac for 2026-27, and I think he'll be selected in the 3rd, or 4th-round of the 2025 Draft.
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