Injury replacements Myles Brosnan, Tobias Trejbal seize opportunity in All-American Game

PLYMOUTH, Michigan – Myles Brosnan grabbed scouts' attentions on Thursday night in the Chipotle All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena. 

Taking a quick straw poll of scouts in attendance during each intermission, the right-handed shot defenceman’s name was brought up most frequently. One NHL scout said, “he’s certainly someone I want to learn more about now.”

And that’s really all Brosnan was hoping for after he was initially left off the roster for the showcase of 2026 NHL Draft eligibles, consisting of the Under-18 National Team Development Program and players from the United States Hockey League. 

“I was a little bit bummed because this is the game you want to be at,” Brosnan said. “But then I got the call at noon on Monday and I was just so excited to be able to play against my peers and make the jump for a showcase like this.

Because of an injury to NTDP defenceman Sam Wathier, Brosnan jumped into a vacancy on the top pair for Team White with Luke Schairer and was one of the game’s most consistent defencemen at moving the puck and defending with physicality, which Team Blue won 5-4. 

Brosnan’s decision making was also noticeable. There’s a subtle flair to his game, but when handling pressure and forecheckers, he was able to find balance with puck skills and his skating to create outlets and transition offence. 

It’s funny, because based on résumés entering the game, Brosnan would have had the easiest excuse to be overwhelmed. While the rest of the 41 players in the game are playing in the USHL full-time this season, Brosnan is primarily playing his draft season in New England Prep Hockey with Dexter Southfield. 

He made cameos in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers at the USHL Fall Showcase back in September, and he has gotten two call-ups to the NTDP Under-18 team, but he never wavered about his decision to finish out his time at Dexter, which Brosnan believes will help him best prepare for an eventual collegiate career at Harvard. 

“They’ve been so good to me and I want to be loyal to them,” Brosnan said. “Graduating and finishing up at Dexter, that’s important to me and that’s what I’ve talked about with Harvard and Sioux City was on board, too. I think prep school is offering me a ton of value, a lot of reps and a lot of ice time. I think it lets me embrace growing my skills both offensively and defensively.”

In the short-term, Brosnan is adamant about his focus on winning at Dexter, so much so that he shoved off any questions about what comes after the prep season ends. He, in theory, could join Sioux City for the remainder of the USHL regular season and the Clark Cup Playoffs, while his QMJHL rights are also owned by the Moncton Wildcats, and he had been officially added to the Moncton training camp roster before this season. 

Either way, the defender grabbed a bit more attention on Thursday. 

Tobias Trejbal perfect amidst the chaos 

Brady Knowling, one of the top goalie prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft, was originally supposed to play in this game, but was held out with a lower-body injury. Knowling last played for Team USA against Sweden at the World Junior Championships, and as of Tuesday still hadn’t skated with the NTDP after returning. 

Knowling is an interesting case study, and has sparked some internal discussion amongst our goalie scouts at Elite Prospects. The physical tools are obvious, but the injuries – the pure amount of them – are starting to become a concern for some NHL teams when it comes to judging his durability

As one NHL goalie scout told me Thursday, “it feels like every time I make a plan to come here (to Plymouth) to watch him, he’s hurt.”

With Knowling out, Youngstown Phantoms goalie Tobias Trejbal was a late roster addition and started for team White. 

Trejbal has put up dazzling numbers in the USHL this season, but has barely been tested. The same NHL goalie scout I spoke to on Thursday said he was hoping to see Trejbal in more “uncomfortable” situations in the All-American Game. 

We all got what we were looking for. 

Trejbal stopped all 19 shots he faced, including a couple athletic stops in the first period where he flashed the pads and showed off his sharp skating. There’s some chaos to his game, both positive and negative, but the raw athleticism is going to be tantalizing for NHL teams, and he might be a sneaky good candidate to be one of the earlier goalies picked in June. 

Wyatt Cullen wins MVP

While Team Blue won the game, Wyatt Cullen took home MVP honours with two goals and an assist for Team White, providing an offensive spark in the second half of the game on a line with NTDP teammates Dayne Beuker and Mikey Berchild. 

“It means a lot. I just knew coming in it was going to be a fast paced, high skill game,” Cullen said. “So just trying to do my best out there and show what I can do, and I think I did that today.”

Cullen’s assist came on a shorthanded goal by Beuker, which was a bit of a rarity for the forward, who rarely kills penalties with the NTDP. 

Additional Notables

Casey Mutryn, RW – Mutryn had an assist, but did most of his damage in this game in how well he attacked the net and how he won battles along the boards. He showed off a nice combination of size and speed drawing a penalty in the first period, and was the driving force on his line. 

Brody George, LW – George is going to be a very good college hockey player because he understands the details and his role as a checker that puts opposing defenders in difficult situations. He’s not going to be known for his goal scoring, but he has an underrated shot according to NTDP coaches and he unleashed one for a goal in this game. 

Jamie Glance, RW – He’s not eligible for the 2026 NHL draft because of a late September birthday, but if he was Glance would probably be one of the higher-ranked NTDP players. He really drove his line with Logan Stuart and Victor Plante. A name worth keeping tabs on now for the 2027 NHL Draft. 

Ryan Cameron, G –  Personally I thought a team should have taken a flier on Cameron in the 2025 NHL Draft after he dominated the NAHL with the Lone Star Brahmas. He’s dealt with a bit of a learning curve jumping into the USHL this season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, but he looked dialed in on Thursday stopping 17 of 18 shots.