In a 2022 Draft Class that includes Juraj Slafkovský, Lane Hutson, and Owen Beck, three prospects who were solidly in the top-12 of EOTP’s Top 25 Under 25 (and most rankings of the Montreal Canadiens’ young players) and another at #16 (Adam Engström) it’s easy to forget there was another first-round pick that the Canadiens made at the Bell Centre.
Filip Mešár, ranked 20th, has largely been under the radar since being drafted. Part of that was how well the others had been playing, part of it because to truly appreciate his game, you needed to watch a lot of Kitchener Ranger games.
Four games into his first full AHL season (he played three games over the previous two seasons), Mešár is finally starting to showcase his abilities. There were plenty of reasons to move other players ahead of Mešár but the key is remembering what made him a first round pick in the first place.
It’s not just that the Slovak has five points (1G, 4A) in his first four games, it’s the way he impacts the game every time he steps on the ice. Even on a team with Alex Barré-Boulet and Joshua Roy, Mešár stands out as the most dynamic forward on the team. He was always dynamic with the puck, the difference is now players are starting to finish plays and are on the same page as him. He sits one point back of the AHL rookie scoring lead.
“Mešár came here and his attitude was outstanding,” said Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent. “In practices we have charts and we can really see the numbers and he’s pushing himself every practice and we can see it in the games. He plays really good hockey. That’s three in a row that he’s a good player out there.”
Note that Vincent only said three games because he said it before Mešár did this to set up the only goal in a 1-0 game the next day.
FIRST AHL GOAL OWEN BECK!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) October 19, 2024
What an assist from Filip Mesar as well! pic.twitter.com/aldVglS29J
The plays that are succeeding are only part of what makes him stand out. In Friday’s home opener, officially he did not get a point, but he was creating great chances.
On both occasions, he stayed with it and did eventually create another shot on goal. His ability to see plays that most don’t and then to execute them with passes through traffic is what makes him such a sneaky prospect in the Canadiens organization. Both Mešár and fellow rookie Adam Engström are showing confidence with the puck and that’s something that pleases Vincent.
“It means that they feel good about themselves,” he said. “Those two guys are feeling confident right now and we want to keep it that way.”
