F Filip Mesar - HK Poprad U20, Slovakia U20 (2022, 26th, MTL)

[GermanSpitfire]

I do wonder why that’s the case, I’d say Hughes may move him to the AHL next season but I don’t think it’s smart to let a player pout there way up.

Agreed.

 

[Jives]

Problem is he doesn’t deserve to play in the AHL next year with how his season has gone. Imo that’s a completely wrong message to send to a kid. You really didn’t play great this season but we are going to promote you anyways.

 

[Lavar Ball]

 

[montreal]

 

[Antiillafire]

I don't agree, NHL teams shouldn't be looking to the Slovak league to develop talent, when they have the best junior league in the world in the OHL or WHL depending on who you ask. The mistake imo would have been to put him in Laval, cause he is easily pushed off the puck and from the games i've seen this year he's not always working hard. Hopefully he has learned a lot about himself and what he needs to do this off-season to see if he can move above the OHL or not.

Why were the rangers happy to send Sykora back if that’s the case? Where he has taken great steps in his development this year.

Looking at the OHL and Slovak players all I see is miss after miss in development. Could list off a heap of players who were hurt, not helped by going to the OHL. It’s pretty bad in there d+1 and beyond, awful in the draft year. Isn’t there a massive contingent of Russians who strongly advise against their players going to North America, as it hinders their development.

 

[JuJu Mobb]

I'm lukewarm on this prospect, plus his size makes him kind of redundant as far as the Habs go.

 

[Wats]

I'm lukewarm on this prospect, plus his size makes him kind of redundant as far as the Habs go.

Same, he has the skill/skating to breakout next season but really hope the pick wasn't influenced by the Habs taking countryman Slafkovsky 1st overall.

 

[jfhabs]

Same, he has the skill/skating to breakout next season but really hope the pick wasn't influenced by the Habs taking countryman Slafkovsky 1st overall.

I think he was deserving of the pick. Many independent scouts had him anywhere from the teens to the early second round. He wasn't my personal pick, but it's not a reach.

IMO he should stay in the OHL next year. Unless there's something we don't know regarding the management situation in Kitchener or in his personal life, there's no reason for him to play higher level next year. He still has things to learn in the OHL.

From my understanding, coaching/management wasn't optimal with the Rangers and he got gassed from the mid-season after coming back from the WJC. He'll need some conditionning to withstand the workload of professionnal hockey.

 

[Mrb1p]

Having Kulich in the farm instead of Mesar sure would look good right now. Big, speedy and skilled goalscorer is pretty much what the Habs ordered.

Sigh.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Having Kulich in the farm instead of Mesar sure would look good right now. Big, speedy and skilled goalscorer is pretty much what the Habs ordered.

Sigh.

I also think the Habs made a mistake there going for countryman over best player available. Time will tell but i am not high on Mesar at all. I think he will be trade bait.

 

[Mrb1p]

I also think the Habs made a mistake there going for countryman over best player available. Time will tell but i am not high on Mesar at all. I think he will be trade bait.

I was pretty high on Mesar, and still am, he's a great player and his small space game is good, he has good tools, wheels, trys hard and all but they didn't go BPA for sure.

 

[jfhabs]

I was pretty high on Mesar, and still am, he's a great player and his small space game is good, he has good tools, wheels, trys hard and all but they didn't go BPA for sure.

It's not super far fetch to think they did and just thought Mesar was better. I preferred Kulich as well.
Having a rough time now is not necessarily negative for Mesar. Sometimes players never experience adversity before pro hockey and when they do they don't have the proper tools to do so at the next level. His struggles now may be a blessing in disguise... time will tell. There are certainly good tools for him to build on.

 

[hellwar9]

From my point of view a very bad season of Filip Mesar. It's a bit disappointing for me. He is far from fulfilling his potential in the OHL and the question is why. I thought before the season that the OHL would be a good choice, but today I don't think so anymore. It seems to me a bit like a lost year, he could have stayed in Slovakia like Adam Sykora and then the next season in the AHL. This way it looks like it will be OHL again. But it might be a good challenge for him to show himself that he can do it. IMO Kitchener itself and the previous coach didn't help much either, he had problems with adaptation and obviously still has a problem to fit in with the team. He has no chemistry with anyone there. But the talent and the tools are still there and I'm still high on him. I don't think he's going to be a bust.

I think there may be a problem in the head as well. Now apart from NA and Montreal, where there is also pressure on him. The Slovak media is totally out of touch and they make him (and every player who has at least a little potential) an incredible star and then there is a lot of pressure on these guys at home. There are days when they write articles about him every day, even about training sessions and training events, where they make him a star because of the highlights. Specifically, Mesar went into the OHL with everyone at home telling him he was going to incredible dominate there and it was going to be a bit of a training pace for him, and if he was really set up that way, then that could be a good reason for how his season is looking. I know myself that the head can do a lot. When he entered the OHL thinking it would be easy for him and the opposite was true, the pressure and the embarrassment got to him more and more and he got under the mental blanket. The psychological preparation of the players is in the stone age in Slovakia, clubs don't have any psychological coach because there is no money for it, and a lot of guys can't cope with the pressure after leaving Slovakia. And in juniors, who are still children, it can be seen even more than at a later age.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Finally got a goal in the playoffs as the insurance goal

 

[LeProspector]

dissapointing seasom for him he Should probably be back in OHL next year

 

[montreal]

 

[SlafCaufield]

this is the only pick I think we may have messed up on in this draft

 

[montreal]

 

[montreal]

 

[montreal]

1g, 3a since being sent down.

 

[Colezuki]

If he’s gonna turn into anything it’s now that he needs to start showing it

 

[SimGrindcore]

Mesar was selected to please Slafkovsky. We should have taken a guess on Lambert.

 

[robertmac43]

He has looked good this year in Kitchener. I'm wondering if he ends up being traded part way through the year. We aren't really supposed to be contenders and are currently punching well above our weight.

 

[Michoulicious]

Since he turns 20 only on Jan 3rd, he should be a big part of that WJC U20 Slovakia squad this year.

 

[montreal]