Trevor Kuntar (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Forward
February NHL Draft Rankings: Trevor was ranked 89th and had a ‘B’ 2020 NHL Draft grade.
World Junior A Challenge, December 2019: Kuntar finished this tournament tied for 8th in scoring with 5 points over 6 games. As the tournament wore on, what struck me most about Kuntar was his gritty style of play. He was always around the net, and always mixing it up with opposing players–including strong puck protection, good net front positioning, and solid body contact. He scored the Bronze Medal Winning Goal–ending the game in OT for the USA vs the Czechs. The 6’0, 200lb forward will attend Harvard next Fall. Grade: B+
USHL – Madison @ Youngstown, November 2018: Relentless forechecker. Made hard hits, strong stick plays, moved his feet to take away time and space. Positionally sound and attacked, didn’t let the play come to him. Had a great assist off the rush feeding Messina in the slot with a crisp heads up pass. College: Harvard Grade: B
USA Hockey Select 17 National Development Camp, July 2018: Kuntar was a USHL tender this past season and went from being a star player on Buffalo Jr. Sabres U16 to a depth forward for Youngstown. He is a strong, balanced skater who is hard on the puck and tough to knock off it. He shoots the puck with power, he protects it well below the hash marks and wins a high percentage of battles along the boards. His stick is sturdy around the net so he can get his blade on rebounds and second-chance opportunities and is tough for defenders to move out of the slot. While he showed some skill moves, including a nice drag and pull around a defender and then shot it over the net, we’d like to see more creativity and puck possession from Kuntar instead of playing in straight lines and oversimplified. He scored 2 goals and added an assist over 5 games and looks ready for a strong second season in the USHL where he’ll have a bigger role and will be a year more experienced. College: Harvard
USHL Draft Phase 1 Top 300 Rankings, May 2017: Trevor was the 47th ranked prospect and his Neutral Zone Amateur Star Rating had been upgraded to a 4.
OHL Draft Top 150 American Rankings, April 2017: Trevor was the 34th ranked prospect with a 3.75 Neutral Zone Amateur Star Rating.
U16 Tier 1 Elite Showcase (NJ), December 2016: There is nothing all that dynamic or fancy about his game. He is a good 200 foot player who engages and goes to the net well. Kuntar is a very good all around player that could play a lot of roles.
T1EHL U16 Ontario Showcase, October 2016: Good skating ability and put pressure on the defense on the rush. He showed good puck skills and the ability to shoot it. Was able to separate with his skating ability and put himself in a position to make plays. He displayed a good compete level and played with a good pace to his game
Mass Tier 1 Labor Day Showcase (U16s), September 2016: The 2001 looked like a high end prospect. He has decent size and can make all the plays with the puck. He has good balance and played with his head up. The 2001 didn’t jump out at us here and played well but we need to see more of him moving forward.
Beantown Classic Summer Showcase: Futures Division, September 2016: We only saw Kuntar a few times this season so we don’t have a ton of background, but he showed glimpses here for being a high-potential prospect. He’s strong on the puck, he has deceptively smooth hands and a can fire the puck when he has a lane. He’ll be playing for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres U16 this upcoming season and we’ll certainly be tracking his progress as he’s worth an honest look.