Yea he did for sure, but then this season he forced to go back to the OHL, held out on his team for a trade that didn't manifest, and had to play on a team that wasn't aiding in his full-game development. Now he broke his hand and will miss the WJC (which he didnt make last year) and his injury will likely keep him out after the trade deadline, locking him onto said unhelpful team.
Plenty of kids put up insane numbers in the CHL and can't capture that in the NHL. Since putting up said insane numbers, seemingly everything has been working against him. Considering this season - a critical one for development - might end up being entirely lost, it's logical to think his development has been compromised.
Maybe i'm being alarmist but i'm not feeling confident about him at all
Compromised might be a bit of a strong word, but I get where you're coming from. But I'm choosing--with the Spirit of 71 guiding me--to take a more relaxed, sanguine perspective with Musty.
Has this year (and just in general being on a not great for development OHL team) set back his progress and development? Yeah, for sure. It's been a hell of a mess of a season for him.
But he's so young still that there's no reason to believe this has to be more than a setback. There are still ways to grow as a player even when not playing. And we all know he has some fantastic talent, he's got good size. But he's always struck me as the type who's going to take a little longer than we thought to develop and become an NHL regular, especially one who's a positive contributor.
Is it the worst thing if he spends most of next season learning how to be a pro in the AHL? It might feel like delayed gratification, it might feel like he's not on the right path...but even next year he'll only be 20. He's got time, and the Sharks have time. Timo Meier, for instance, became a Sharks regular at 21, but still played fewer than 15 minutes per game with under 0.5 ppg.
And I know it might be ridiculous, but I also have this fantasy of Celebrini as this uber-leader within a couple years, kind of Crosby-esque in the way even at a young age he'll have the talent, drive, and leadership to take others around him--especially a talented forward of a similar age like Musty--under his wing and basically whip them into shape.