Landon Nycz Scouting Report
#13 LD/RD, Landon Nycz
Team: Massachusetts
Height/Weight: 6-3 201 lbs. Was 6-2 201 lbs, but has grown an inch since enrolling in at Massachusetts.
Shoots: Left
DOB: October 4, 2007.
Overview: Began his career with the Waterloo Blackhawks as a bottom pairing defenseman in the USHL, but got traded to the Sioux City Musketeers where Landon Nycz was the number one right sided defenseman on the first line. Landon Nycz was so dominant that he and Keaton Verhoeff were the only two defensemen to keep their opponents scoreless on game film for two periods. Unlike Verhoef, Landon Nycz has experience playing both defenseman on both the left side and right side of the blue line. Landon Nycz had 8 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, and a +13 +/- ratio in 56 USHL games in 2024-2025. The Sioux City Musketeers gave up 8 goals in their first USHL game without Landon Nycz which speaks volumes in my opinion.
Player Projection: My player projection is a first line defenseman. The player projections with Landon Nycz are all over the place. My floor for Landon Nycz is a number four defensemen complimenting your best defender on a second line on an NHL roster and my ceiling for him is a number one defenseman anchoring a blue line. Landon Nycz is expected to go back to college after he gets drafted. This leads me to believe his projection could be anywhere from a number three defenseman anchoring a second line to a number one defenseman anchoring a top line. My projection for Landon Nycz is a high end number two defenseman on a top line complimenting your teams best defenseman.
Think Thomas Harley on Dallas as I mocked Landon Nycz twenty first overall to the Boston Bruins in the first round with the Toronto Maple Leafs first round pick in my first 2026 NHL Mock Draft. Tankathon has him at 62 on their big board, mocking him at 57 to the Chicago Blackhawks with the Toronto Maple Leafs second round pick with a second round grade as well as a second line defenseman projection in the NHL with his time in Waterloo making his floor a third line defenseman in the NHL, his ceiling as a first line defenseman in the NHL due to his time on Sioux City.
Tankathon believes he will be a second line defenseman in the NHL. Lines has Landon Nycz as a guy with the floor of a number one defenseman in the AHL, the ceiling of a number four defenseman in the NHL and a projection of a bottom pairing defenseman in the NHL mocking Landon Nycz at 96 to Edmonton in the third round. I got a first round grade on Landon Nycz, but this is a guy that could slide in the draft like Cameron Schmidt did in the 2025 NHL Draft with a playoff team such as Colorado, Florida, Dallas, or Edmonton getting a first round talent in the second or third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Strengths:
Face Offs: Landon Nycz is excellent at winning face offs. He can win face offs despite being a defenseman not lining up for face offs in the center.
Release: Landon Nycz can fire the puck quickly. He got rid of the puck in 0.4 seconds in the season opener for Massachusetts against Northern Michigan.
Physicality: Landon Nycz does have great size. I love the way this guy hits. You also have to admire the fact that this guy does not react when he gets hit.
Skating: Landon Nycz is a great skater. Does a great job going stride to stride when playing defense. He is a smooth skater that can move forward with the puck and backwards without the puck when having to play defense.
Weaknesses:
Shooting: His weaknesses in the USHL were wrist shot power, wrist shot accuracy, slap shot power, and slap shot accuracy. Landon Nycz cleaned up his wrist shot at Massachusetts taking one of his biggest weaknesses and turning it into one of his biggest strengths. His slap shot still needs refinement, but that can be fixed with a shooting coach.
Transition Game: Landon Nycz needs to improve his transition game. He really needs to become more consistent and refine this area of his game. Sometimes he is not quick enough when transitioning despite being a very good skater.
Skater Ratings:
Skating: 7
Puck Skill: 6
Scoring Ability: 7
Playmaking Ability: 6
Hockey Sense/IQ: 8
Character: 9
Physicality: 10
Defensive Play: 8