Well friends, we finally did it. We have finally reached the NHL offseason. Now that the Carolina Hurricanes have put the finishing touches on the Vegas Golden Knights, the league’s focus can now turn to where the New Jersey Devils’ focus has been for a while now: the 2026 NHL draft. Believe it or not, we are now less than two weeks away from the draft, so it’ll be here before we know it. With one of the biggest league events of the year on the horizon, we continue our series of profiles on notable
prospects in this year’s draft. Today, our attention turns to Pierce Mbuyi. The Penn State commit had himself a strong season in the OHL in 2025-26, and while he’s not going to be a viable option for New Jersey’s first round pick, perhaps the Devils could target him in the second round. Let’s take a deeper look at Mbuyi:
Who Is Pierce Mbuyi?
Pierce Mbuyi (pronounced “BOO-ee”) was born on April 17, 2008, in Mississauga, Ontario. According to his profile on Elite Prospects, Mbuyi is a lefty-shooting left winger, who stands at 5’11” and 163 pounds. Just looking at that weight listing, you have to figure there will be some filling out in Mbuyi’s future.
Mbuyi spent the first parts of his major youth hockey career in the Toronto Marlboros system in the GTHL. Elite Prospects actually does not have statistics for his U14 or U15 seasons with the Marlboros in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively. To find his earliest season with recorded stats, we have to go to his U16 campaign in 2023-24. In that season, Mbuyi played 35 games, posting 29 goals and 59 total points. He also added a staggering eight goals and 13 points in six playoff games. Side note: According to Elite Prospects, that season he also played 59 games for the Marlboros in a league that Elite Prospects calls the “U16 AAA” league, as opposed to the 35 games he spent in the “GTHL U16” league. I tried to do some digging into the difference between the two, but I couldn’t find any info on it, not even on the GTHL website itself.
In 2024-25, Mbuyi made the jump to the OHL with the Owen Sound Attack. In his debut season in major junior hockey, Mbuyi played 63 games, registering 29 goals and 52 total points. He then chipped in a goal and an assist in four postseason games that year. Also in 2024-25, Mbuyi represented his native Canada at the U17 World Hockey Championship. In four games in the tournament, he scored one goal and added two helpers.
This past season, Mbuyi took a big step forward with the Owen Sound Attack. Not only did he serve as an alternate captain for a stretch, but be was also named captain of the team in the middle of the season, a great sign if you’re looking for positive intangibles. He also played 68 contests, notching 32 goals and 75 points in the regular season. His postseason was a bit of a disappointment though, as he played four games and recorded only one point, a goal, to go along with a woeful -8.
This fall, Mbuyi will take his talents south of the border, as he has made a commitment to continue his hockey career at Penn State.
Where Is Mbuyi Ranked?
- #42 by TSN (Button)
- #43 by Sportsnet (Bukala)
- #55 by Smaht Scouting
- #56 by NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)
- #59 by The Hockey News (Ferrari)
- #62 by The Athletic (Wheeler)
- #62 by McKeen’s Hockey
- #74 by Daily Faceoff
As you can see, Mbuyi projects to go somewhere in the mid-second to early-third round according to the collective rankings. New Jersey does not have a third round pick, so if they want to have a realistic shot at Mbuyi, they would either have to use their second rounder (44th overall) on him, or trade down or trade for another second or third round pick.
What Others Have To Say About Mbuyi
We’ll start with Scott Wheeler at The Athletic. In his final rankings, he has Mbuyi at 62nd overall. Here’s what he had to say about him:
He plays with drive, intensity and work rate, buzzing around the ice to make things happen and will plays into existence. He can be scrappy. He’s a standout skater, athlete, shooter and handler who can attack off the rush, wind around the offensive zone and strike with his release. But how effective will he be, or can he be, as an NHLer? That’s what teams will ask themselves on draft day, and he’ll have to answer it over and over again with his play. Cameron Schmidt went at the end of the third round in 2025 to the Stars, and he had more international pedigree, though Mbuyi is also a more well-rounded player and a little taller. I think about other recent third-round 5-foot-10ish wings like Nick Lardis a little, too. He’s a fun player to watch in the OHL but remains a bit of a long shot.
Wheeler has a lot of praise for his game, but feels as though his lack of size will hold him back significantly at the next level. His height is not an issue, as plenty of NHLers are successful at 5’11”. It’s his listed weight of 163 pounds, which is quite light. As I mentioned earlier, he will almost certainly put more mass on his frame as he gets older. But to be fair, 163 pounds is not an ideal place to start from.
Next, let’s take a look at Smaht Scouting, who have Mbuyi 55th overall. Smath Scouting’s Nathan Hutchinson did the writeup for Mbuyi, here’s what he had to say:
Mbuyi stands out primarily as a goal scorer. He is a major weapon on the power play, scoring in multiple ways—one-timers, net-front finishes, and catch-and-release shots from the tops of the circles. His shooting talent ranks in the top percentage of the draft class. His effort level away from the puck is high. He is relentless and will battle for loose pucks. Although he lacks the strength to consistently win physical battles, he has a good stick. He is a decent puck carrier in transition, but he is not relied upon as the primary entry option. Instead, he often chases down pucks and uses his tenacious motor to force defenders into mistakes. Mbuyi’s overall profile comes with some questions. His size and general 5-on-5 impact will be key points of evaluation.
More praise for Mbuyi’s offensive skill (particularly his shot), and his elite compete level. But we also see more concerns about his size, to go along with critiques about his transition skill and his play-driving ability.
Over at Sportsnet, Jason Bukala has Mbuyi 43rd overall, almost exactly at where the Devils would be picking if they hold at 44. Bukala writes that Mbuyi is “(an) energetic forward who thrives on the power play. Nineteen of his 32 goals came with the man advantage.” He also gives him a projection of a third liner in the NHL.
Scouting The Tape
The Youtube channel Prospect Shifts is such a godsend for these prospect profiles, my hat is off to them. The first video here is one of their classic shift-by-shift tapes of a prospect. Here’s Mbuyi’s game from March 20 against Guelph:
And here’s another video from Prospect Shifts on Mbuyi, this time it’s an overall season highlights package:
My Opinion And Final Thoughts
I have to admit, I wasn’t blown away from the game tape against Guelph. Perhaps it was just an off night from Mbuyi, but he didn’t really impact the play a whole lot, with much time spent in the defensive zone. He did have a couple of assists though, one shorthanded, and one late in the game with the net pulled, so at least he found a way to be productive.
I did like that he was trusted as an all-situations player though. It’s especially encouraging to see him on the penalty kill considering his size. It goes to show that those reports of him being a high-effort player were correct, as you don’t get to be a trusted defensive player with Mbuyi’s frame without a terrific compete level. And overall throughout that game, I did see that elite motor that scouts rave about with him. Even if I didn’t think he was particularly impactful, I did think he tried his absolute best to make plays happen for his team and disrupt plays for the other team. His willingness to battle is commendable, and he did force some key turnovers throughout, so even if I didn’t perceive him to be all that impactful in general, he did make at least some impact defensively.
The highlights did a better job of showcasing his offense, which did look quite promising. The thing I appreciated most about his offensive generation is that he really does produce chances from everywhere. He can shoot from distance, he can facilitate from the wing or behind the net, and perhaps most impressively, he scored a ton of goals and generated a ton of looks from in front of the net. He worked very hard to get to rebounds and loose pucks in the tough areas of the ice, which is great to see from anyone, but especially someone as slight as Mbuyi. Perhaps those concerns about his size are a bit overblown.
I do get the concerns about size, but after a postseason in which we’ve watched the diminutive Logan Stankoven blossom into a star, I have become less concerned about size by the day. You know who else Mbuyi reminds me of a bit? Zach Parise. Now, while Parise was the same height as Mbuyi, he was a little more bulky. But again, Mbuyi has plenty of years to add a lot of muscle to his frame. But a left-shot, left wing prospect who has a ton of skill and an elite compete level, to go along with great leadership traits? That sounds like the former Devils captain to a T. I’m not saying he’s going to become Parise, only that they seem similar in style and body type to me, and that perhaps Mbuyi can become a poor man’s Parise.
In the end, I’m torn on whether I want New Jersey to take him if he’s on the board at 44. I don’t think I’d hate it, because my personal philosophy in the draft is to take swings on players with high ceilings. Safe is death in the middle rounds of the draft, at least that’s how I see it. So can I see Mbuyi flaming out and never making it to the NHL? Absolutely. But I can also see him blossoming into a star winger that can be a top line scorer for a long, long time. I would much rather draft a player like that than a player who probably has a better chance at making the NHL, but at best will become a third line checking forward. So I suppose that I would be accepting if Mbuyi was the pick here, even if I think there’s a healthy amount of risk involved with a player like him.
Now it’s your turn. What do you make of Pierce Mbuyi? What about his game excites you the most? What would concern you the most? Would you want the Devils to take him at 44th overall? As always, thanks for reading!
