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Canadiens Prospect Mesar’s Excellent World Juniors Playmaking

Published

4 months ago

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Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar

Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar continues to set up his teammates with prime scoring chances at the 2024 World Junior Championship, which is taking place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The 19-year-old forward earned another multi-point game with a three-point effort versus Norway on Friday. The outing pushed his tournament totals to six points in three games. This means he’s tied for second overall in scoring, however, players like Macklin Celebrini (Canada) are yet to play their third game of the World Junior Championship.

Mesar has looked engaged during every shift, which is a continuation of the renewed effort level he’s put into place every night in the Ontario Hockey League for the Kitchener Rangers.

Many doubted his NHL aspirations due to his lack of consistency last season. Mesar had a relatively good year, scoring 51 points in 52 games, but as a first-round pick, that type of production is fairly underwhelming. This year, Mesar scored 32 points in 20 games for the Rangers, a significant uptick for a player known for his creative playmaking and talent while driving the play up the ice.

On Friday, Mesar assisted on two Dalibor Dvorsky (St-Louis Blues) goals, as well as Servac Petrovsky’s (Minnesota Wild) fifth goal of the tournament. As it stands, Petrovsky leads all players at the 2024 World Junior Championship in scoring, with eight points in three games.

It should also be noted that after three games Slovakia currently sits atop Group B, with nine points.

Playing alongside a talented player such as Mesar has definitely bolstered his scoring opportunities, and the sixth-round pick (2022) has done a fantastic job seizing his opportunities.

Some Montreal Canadiens fans may bemoan the fact that Mesar is receiving praise due to his relatively slow growth last season, but we must remember that development is never linear. Some players take a little longer to find their rhythm, and it’s never easy coming to a new country at just 18 years old. It’s not just a new country that makes things difficult. There are new customs, new food, new teammates, new coaches, and new strategies, among other factors.

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