Prospect Info: [2022 - 26th] Filip Mesar (OHL - Kitchener Rangers)

[Bombshell11]

Boy did we dodge a bullet today

I wonder if McDavid helped make Strome and DeBrincat.

Regardless, did Mesar actually have lesser linemates then all the NHL greats that destroyed junior? Didn't all of nearly all NHL forward greats that played in the CHL destroy the CHL?

i saw Lemieux's junior team and aside from a 15 years old Damphouse the rest of the squad did nothing in the NHL

 

[Guess]

Roy is way less dynamic, of course, but he's more talented imo. It's not because something looks effortless that it doesn't require talent.

From what I can see, Roy's IQ is much higher than Mesar's. Having a good IQ should mean that you can adapt to different players tendencies.

Just like Suzuki, he doesn't need to be fast to be highly effective given his IQ.

 

[BLONG7]

Mesar is going to impress at camp!

Let's hope so!! He as been pretty average for a kid drafted in the 1st round.
I remember early some dude said Mesar would get 200 pts in the CHL................LOL
At this point he looks like an AHL player, who will end up back in Europe.

Let's hope not............but don't hold your breath to see him in a habs uniform.

 

[Bombshell11]

At this point he looks like an AHL player, who will end up back in Europe.

Blasphemy

 

[LaP]

I wonder if McDavid helped make Strome and DeBrincat.

Regardless, did Mesar actually have lesser linemates then all the NHL greats that destroyed junior? Didn't all of nearly all NHL forward greats that played in the CHL destroy the CHL?

No sure what McDavid has to do in a discussion about Mesar. One is a 1st overall pick and the other a 26th overall pick.

Mesar had 77 points in 60 junior games last year which is pretty standard for a guy drafted 26th overall.

OHL 45 GP 52 Pts
OHL playoffs 10 GP 16 Pts
u20 5 GP 9 Pts

 

[Tyson]

Let's hope so!! He as been pretty average for a kid drafted in the 1st round.
I remember early some dude said Mesar would get 200 pts in the CHL................LOL
At this point he looks like an AHL player, who will end up back in Europe.

Let's hope not............but don't hold your breath to see him in a habs uniform.

Too early to write him off. I would say to let him play one AHL season, this will give us a pretty good idea on whether or not he will pan out. Habs have not done well with late 1st round picks

 

[LaP]

Too early to write him off. I would say to let him play one AHL season, this will give us a pretty good idea on whether he won't pan out. Habs have not done well with late 1st round picks

He reminds me Palat. Palat had similar numbers in junior outside of his last season in QMJHL but he did worse in the u20 and in QMJHL playoffs than Mesar. But it's comparable.

Palat

QMJHL 120 GP 136 Pts 1.133 P/GP
QMJHL Playoffs 17 GP 13 Pts 0.76 P/GP
u20 6 GP 3 Pts 0.5 P/GP

Mesar

OHL 97 GP 103 Pts 1.06 P/GP
OHL Playofs 19 GP 20 Pts 1.05 P/GP
u20 12 GP 15 Pts 1.25 P/GP

It's very similar to me and they play a relatively similar game. Not very big, not very physical, not very good goal scorer but talented playmaker. If Mesar can develop a defensive game like Palat he could become a good depth player to have for a cup run. People writting him off already are ridiculous.

 

[WinterLion]

If he does well at the start of the year... guys will be running into this thread to say I told you so!

 

[Adam Michaels]

If he does well at the start of the year... guys will be running into this thread to say I told you so!

When he was playing at the WJC last year, posters who had doubts because they looked at his stats in the OHL would come in this thread praising him and excited about him because they were actually watching him play.

 

[BLONG7]

Blasphemy

Where is that 200 pt season you talked about??

Kid is looking like a bust.....hope I am wrong.

Too early to write him off. I would say to let him play one AHL season, this will give us a pretty good idea on whether he won't pan out. Habs have not done well with late 1st round picks

Let's hope he can handle the AHL.

 

[WinterLion]

When he was playing at the WJC last year, posters who had doubts because they looked at his stats in the OHL would come in this thread praising him and excited about him because they were actually watching him play.

Totally. I think he might be one of those guys who plays better when playing with (and against) better players. He is just so smart and slippery.... of course he is tiny so he will need to be very good. Stats just don't tell the whole story.

 

[Bombshell11]

Where is that 200 pt season you talked about??

Kid is looking like a bust.....hope I am wrong.

How does it feel to always be wrong? I am asking for a friend.

 

[Treb]

How does it feel to always be wrong? I am asking for a friend.

I don't think you should be making such jabs.

Hopefully he does better than Kidney, our other lightweight playmaking forward.

 

[Bombshell11]

I don't think you should be making such jabs.

Bro, BLON7 has been throwing all kinds of jabs at me since the begening. Even to this day, he's still talking smack.

Hopefully he does better than Kidney, our other lightweight playmaking forward.

Im not surprised you're saying this, you got Mesar top 15 or something like that..

 

[vokiel]

Bust.

Filip Mebust or Filip Bustar?

 

[Le Tricolore]

Where is that 200 pt season you talked about??

Kid is looking like a bust.....hope I am wrong.


Let's hope he can handle the AHL.

he's f***ing 20 years old. not every player drafted is going to be an NHL star immediately. Are you going to tell me every single player taken outside the top 10 are busts since they haven't done much if anything at the pro level? Have some patience.

 

[Bombshell11]

Filip Mebust or Filip Bustar?

Just Filip Messi will do

 

[Treb]

he's f***ing 20 years old. not every player drafted is going to be an NHL star immediately. Are you going to tell me every single player taken outside the top 10 are busts since they haven't done much if anything at the pro level? Have some patience.

I think the main issue is not Mesar itself, but who was drafted after.

In the 20 players taken after him (hindsight 20/20):
I easily take: Bystedt, Kulich, Beck, Firkus, Minten
I probably take: Howard, Lambert, Lund, Del Bel Belluz, Havelid, Casey
I debate: Schaefer
I probably don't take: Lamoureux, Chesley, Ludwinski, Warren, Lutz
I don't take: Duda, James, Leinonen


Imagine having two of Bystedt/Kulich/Beck/Firkus/Minten.

Don't remember exactly who I wanted on draft day, but I believe Kulich, Firkus and Howard were some of them.

 

[Paddy17]

You clearly see from this thread who are the people that want a prospect to fail just to be proven right. The guy hasn't played a single pro game yet, and he's already a bust to get rid of.

 

[Tyson]

You clearly see from this thread who are the people that want a prospect to fail just to be proven right. The guy hasn't played a single pro game yet, and he's already a bust to get rid of.

Disgusting isn't it? Give the kid a chance

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Too early to write him off. I would say to let him play one AHL season, this will give us a pretty good idea on whether or not he will pan out. Habs have not done well with late 1st round picks

To be fair Mesar is the only late 1st that this management group have selected and Beck was the first pick of the second round so perhaps it would be prudent to save any grand proclamations about their success rate at the end of the first round until there is more supporting data. Hage is a great pick imo but he is slightly closer to a mid first than a late first.

 

[Hannibal]

I have no faith in that prospect. None.

 

[Intangir]

I have no faith in that prospect. None.

I wouldn't go that far, but his first year in Kitchener was a real disappointment for me.

He looked disinterested a lot of the times, weak in puck-protection, made sub-optimal plays with the puck on his stick, it seemed that he struggled to process the game in an NA rink, and he just wasn't playing with nearly the same energy and vim that I'd seen him display as a D-1 when he played in Slovakia and at the U-18s.

I even started questioning his hockey IQ, thinking he'd maybe gotten by on superior skating/hands vs. his competition, a fact that maybe hid a "potentially-middling" hockey sense.

That was my grasp on the prospect after the 2022/2023 season, not from stats but from watching Mesar play for Kitchener.

But then he had a much better second season in Kitchener last year, improved his work rate, made noticeably better decisions with the puck, showed less of a lackadaisical attitude defensively, pressured the puck carrier with MUCH more alacrity and urgency, and just played incredibly well overall in the playoffs, as he was often the best player on Kitchener from the games I saw.

So yeah, Mesar did not completely quell the doubts I started to harbor for him after his frankly disastrous 2022/2023 CHL season with his performance last year. But his strong play despite no "eye-popping stats" to speak of after an abysmal first CHL season definitely elevated my opinion of him.

All of which to say that although I am quite "down" on Mesar as a prospect, and seriously doubt his future as a top-6 forward at the NHL level, I also still think there is hope for his NHL dreams yet if he shows well at the AHL for 2024/2025 and displays improvement there.

I wish Mesar all the best and will be rooting for him though, as I will for every single Canadiens prospect that we draft/sign.

 

[26Mats]

I have no faith in that prospect. None.

I have him in the same boat as Farrell, Kidney, and Simoneau as undersized long-shot prospects.

He has 3 years to try to make something of himself at the pro level in North America, in Laval. We'll see what he does with the time.

 

[HabbyGuy]

I like Mesar's smarts and skill level. But he just seems like a top 6 or bust type for our team. He's not really a bottom 6 player imo, thus it will be harder for him than others to crack the roster. He has potential and it's way too early to write him off, but I think the road is harder for him due to this team's makeup.

Idealy he reaches his potential and he becomes a valuable trade piece. I just don't see a fit, anymore at the top of the lineup.