Confirmed with Link: Three-year, entry-level contract for Filip Mesar

[Karma Police]

With Mesar speed and hands, he would destroy the OHL and I would love for him to go there 1 season and get his mojo going in NA. Then, if he has a successful season in the O, bring him to laval on a top 6 role and see from there

 

[Natey]

With Mesar speed and hands, he would destroy the OHL and I would love for him to go there 1 season and get his mojo going in NA. Then, if he has a successful season in the O, bring him to laval on a top 6 role and see from there

You know who else would destroy the O? A million players.

He's been playing against men. His development could easily stall by playing against children again.

Let's see what training camp brings and then see what he deserves.

 

[montreal]

With Mesar speed and hands, he would destroy the OHL and I would love for him to go there 1 season and get his mojo going in NA. Then, if he has a successful season in the O, bring him to laval on a top 6 role and see from there

what does destroy the OHL mean to you? Just wondering, like 100+ pts?

You know who else would destroy the O? A million players.

He's been playing against men. His development could easily stall by playing against children again.

Let's see what training camp brings and then see what he deserves.

playing against children? He would be playing mostly against players his own age since the average age in the OHL is 18.

Name some players that you think their development stalled by going to the OHL at 18 instead of the AHL.

 

[Karma Police]

what does destroy the OHL mean to you? Just wondering, like 100+ pts?

Not detroying in that sense but be an elite player at that level and the main guy on the team.

 

[Natey]

Name some players that you think their development stalled by going to the OHL at 18 instead of the AHL.

I could name hundreds that it may have happened too. But who actually knows because if their development stalled - they've most likely busted. There's a million factors that go into development.

And taking children at face value is obviously taking the meaning far out of context. The guy played against men, now he'd be playing against 16-20 year olds. Easy way to develop bad habits when the game becomes too easy for you. There's a big difference. Many of these kids would never even be good enough to play in Austria let alone Slovakia, even years down the road.

Personally, I'm not fully against the OHL if he proves the AHL is too high of a jump (in which case I wouldn't send him to the SHL either because he'd have the same issues as the in the AHL). I think his training camp should decide where he goes. If he shows up and plays extremely well against mostly men, great. Send him to the AHL. If he struggles, off the OHL to develop more.

I just hate the idea of deciding ahead of time where a player should be. I feel like the AHL would be best for Slafkovsky, but if he comes to camp and absolutely dominates, the NHL is where he should start.

 

[KevSkillz4]

After see him at dev camp, Mesar is a very skilled player, great speed, great hands, he can pass, he can shoot, he have good hockey IQ too. Potential top 6 forward, for sure about that. Habs need to develop well Mesar, if they can develop well Mesar, we have a pretty good one.

Reminds me a version winger of Saku Koivu. I think it's a good comparable.

 

[montreal]

I could name hundreds that it may have happened too. But who actually knows because if their development stalled - they've most likely busted. There's a million factors that go into development.

And taking children at face value is obviously taking the meaning far out of context. The guy played against men, now he'd be playing against 16-20 year olds. Easy way to develop bad habits when the game becomes too easy for you. There's a big difference. Many of these kids would never even be good enough to play in Austria let alone Slovakia, even years down the road.

Personally, I'm not fully against the OHL if he proves the AHL is too high of a jump (in which case I wouldn't send him to the SHL either because he'd have the same issues as the in the AHL). I think his training camp should decide where he goes. If he shows up and plays extremely well against mostly men, great. Send him to the AHL. If he struggles, off the OHL to develop more.

I just hate the idea of deciding ahead of time where a player should be. I feel like the AHL would be best for Slafkovsky, but if he comes to camp and absolutely dominates, the NHL is where he should start.

I think you are vastly overrating playing against men, look at KK who many like myself were saying he should not be in the NHL at 18 after being a winger in Liiga. The Nucks were smart and sent Pettersson back to the SHL at 18, the Habs clearly imo should have sent KK back to Liiga and that's a much better league then the Slovak league and I'm not a big fan of Liiga as I think the SHL is a good bit better then Liiga.

No one is saying you have to make the choice now, just think most people don't know what they are talking about. How many posters do you think actually watch SHL, Liiga, Czech, Slovak league games and if you don't, how do you know what league he should be playing in if you don't know the league he just played in.

 

[Natey]

I think you are vastly overrating playing against men, look at KK who many like myself were saying he should not be in the NHL at 18 after being a winger in Liiga. The Nucks were smart and sent Pettersson back to the SHL at 18, the Habs clearly imo should have sent KK back to Liiga and that's a much better league then the Slovak league and I'm not a big fan of Liiga as I think the SHL is a good bit better then Liiga.

No one is saying you have to make the choice now, just think most people don't know what they are talking about. How many posters do you think actually watch SHL, Liiga, Czech, Slovak league games and if you don't, how do you know what league he should be playing in if you don't know the league he just played in.

That's fair, to each their own. I just feel like he should go to camp and earn where he goes. If he's not ready for the AHL, I'd send him to the OHL.

I do think SHL is better than Liiga. And obviously both are better than the Slovak league. SHL would be a step up, but if we don't think he'll get ice-time in the AHL and therefore will lose development, the same would happen in SHL. So I'd rather send him to the OHL in that scenario.

I just think if he proves he's ready for the AHL in camp, especially if Slafkovsky goes the AHL... it could be good to develop them together.

I just hate the idea of dominating or at least playing very good in camp, missing the World Juniors, and then being sent to juniors anyway. If the plan is the OHL, he should go the WJC.

 

[montreal]

That's fair, to each their own. I just feel like he should go to camp and earn where he goes. If he's not ready for the AHL, I'd send him to the OHL.

I do think SHL is better than Liiga. And obviously both are better than the Slovak league. SHL would be a step up, but if we don't think he'll get ice-time in the AHL and therefore will lose development, the same would happen in SHL. So I'd rather send him to the OHL in that scenario.

I just think if he proves he's ready for the AHL in camp, especially if Slafkovsky goes the AHL... it could be good to develop them together.

I just hate the idea of dominating or at least playing very good in camp, missing the World Juniors, and then being sent to juniors anyway. If the plan is the OHL, he should go the WJC.

That's what will happen, as that's what happens to any prospect that gets invited to training camp, the team will look at them and see where they would be best off playing depending on what the options are.

I would have let him play in next months WJC so of course I would be all in for December's. I don't get it at all, the Habs have nothing to play for next season unless Price is healthy and near the top of game, so let the kids go to the WJC's imo.

 

[Bombshell11]

After see him at dev camp, Mesar is a very skilled player, great speed, great hands, he can pass, he can shoot, he have good hockey IQ too. Potential top 6 forward, for sure about that. Habs need to develop well Mesar, if they can develop well Mesar, we have a pretty good one.

Reminds me a version winger of Saku Koivu. I think it's a good comparable.

Spot on, Imho hes the next koivu, hes got the heads for it, the attitude molsons like, for me hes the most complete hockey player we have from the prospect list atm, i would place him ahead of Slaf by 1 notch. Slaf seems more like a project atm rather than a real 1st overall. Mesar looks to be ready for the NHL but is missing a few pounds. I think most people have not seen him play or seen his highlights, this kid is NHL ready and.i think we will be best served if we play him in the NHL right away, i bet by mid Jan he'll get used to the rythm and besides the nhl players are not at their 100% for the first 2 months, he'll have plenty of time to grow bigger and develop. This kid will learn tremendously by being in the pros and from nnext year he'll become dominant and we'll have a top 2 center who's 19 years old at his physical prime for 5-6 years.

Mesar is a center though, he can play wing too but hes listed as center

 

[RationalExpectations]

Spot on, Imho hes the next koivu, hes got the heads for it, the attitude molsons like, for me hes the most complete hockey player we have from the prospect list atm, i would place him ahead of Slaf by 1 notch. Slaf seems more like a project atm rather than a real 1st overall. Mesar looks to be ready for the NHL but is missing a few pounds. I think most people have not seen him play or seen his highlights, this kid is NHL ready and.i think we will be best served if we play him in the NHL right away, i bet by mid Jan he'll get used to the rythm and besides the nhl players are not at their 100% for the first 2 months, he'll have plenty of time to grow bigger and develop. This kid will learn tremendously by being in the pros and from nnext year he'll become dominant and we'll have a top 2 center who's 19 years old at his physical prime for 5-6 years.

Mesar is a center though, he can play wing too but hes listed as center

I don't see him as a center in the NHL though, most probably a winger. That being said, I really liked the pick, but we must keep in mind he is likely a boom or bust kind of guy. I'd put him in the AHL for 1 or 2 years and then bring him to the NHL, like Slaf basically.

 

[SOLR]

Spot on, Imho hes the next koivu, hes got the heads for it, the attitude molsons like, for me hes the most complete hockey player we have from the prospect list atm, i would place him ahead of Slaf by 1 notch. Slaf seems more like a project atm rather than a real 1st overall. Mesar looks to be ready for the NHL but is missing a few pounds. I think most people have not seen him play or seen his highlights, this kid is NHL ready and.i think we will be best served if we play him in the NHL right away, i bet by mid Jan he'll get used to the rythm and besides the nhl players are not at their 100% for the first 2 months, he'll have plenty of time to grow bigger and develop. This kid will learn tremendously by being in the pros and from nnext year he'll become dominant and we'll have a top 2 center who's 19 years old at his physical prime for 5-6 years.

Mesar is a center though, he can play wing too but hes listed as center

I like the pick a lot, but Mesar is not ready for the NHL lol. Can we stop with the nonsense hype?

The guy hasn't dominated his age group yet. CHL/WJC (December) is the best bet for him.

I really hope they don't keep Slaf and Mesar always together because they are friends. It's time to turn pro kids, and that means becoming adults and for that, I would try my hardest to SEPARATE them for the next 2 years. They can be friends again in 2 years when Mesar will be physically mature. Slaf is already there physically. A good year in the AHL for Slaf would do him good so he could face the bus for 1 year. Keep these kids humble artificially = how you develop a good culture in the NHL team where everyone knows the price to be on the team.

 

[Bombshell11]

I like the pick a lot, but Mesar is not ready for the NHL lol. Can we stop with the nonsense hype?

The guy hasn't dominated his age group yet. CHL/WJC (December) is the best bet for him.

I really hope they don't keep Slaf and Mesar always together because they are friends. It's time to turn pro kids, and that means becoming adults and for that, I would try my hardest to SEPARATE them for the next 2 years. They can be friends again in 2 years when Mesar will be physically mature. Slaf is already there physically. A good year in the AHL for Slaf would do him good so he could face the bus for 1 year. Keep these kids humble artificially = how you develop a good culture in the NHL team where everyone knows the price to be on the team.

Nah what you're describing is the MT way of doing things and that dint worked out to well right? Mesar is already very humble, there's no point doing things artificially just because.
You dont know if hes ready because you havent seen him in the NHL yet. The reason i say hes ready is from the things he does on the ice without the puck... and he does them like a pro. Ex. battling, compete, Hockey IQ, quickness with his stick etc. The way hes wired , the way he plays is something some players take years to develop in the nhl. It shows he's learned to play hockey vs adults and the next natural progression for him is the NHL, the AHL is a step down... half the players there know they have no future so they've given up and the rest play for a spot in the nhl. I rather have him with St-Louis who's an amzing player's coach.

There's no way Mesar busts... he's wired the right way.

 

[Belial]

Nah what you're describing is the MT way of doing things and that dint worked out to well right? Mesar is already very humble, there's no point doing things artificially just because.
You dont know if hes ready because you havent seen him in the NHL yet. The reason i say hes ready is from the things he does on the ice without the puck... and he does them like a pro. Ex. battling, compete, Hockey IQ, quickness with his stick etc. The way hes wired , the way he plays is something some players take years to develop in the nhl. It shows he's learned to play hockey vs adults and the next natural progression for him is the NHL, the AHL is a step down... half the players there know they have no future so they've given up and the rest play for a spot in the nhl. I rather have him with St-Louis who's an amzing player's coach.

There's no way Mesar busts... he's wired the right way.

There's no way Mesar starts the year with the big club, we don't even have space for Slafkovsky!

I can see him starting in the AHL though if he really kills it during camp...

 

[SOLR]

Nah what you're describing is the MT way of doing things and that dint worked out to well right? Mesar is already very humble, there's no point doing things artificially just because.
You dont know if hes ready because you havent seen him in the NHL yet. The reason i say hes ready is from the things he does on the ice without the puck... and he does them like a pro. Ex. battling, compete, Hockey IQ, quickness with his stick etc. The way hes wired , the way he plays is something some players take years to develop in the nhl. It shows he's learned to play hockey vs adults and the next natural progression for him is the NHL, the AHL is a step down... half the players there know they have no future so they've given up and the rest play for a spot in the nhl. I rather have him with St-Louis who's an amzing player's coach.

There's no way Mesar busts... he's wired the right way.

MT's way was not that at all. It was about keeping players humble IN THE NHL. I didn't say a word about that, it's foolish.
High price to get IN. Low price to get up in the team if you perform.
Artificially by levels manages your cap space and creates the right amount of tension for players to mature before they are in the NHL.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Nah what you're describing is the MT way of doing things and that dint worked out to well right? Mesar is already very humble, there's no point doing things artificially just because.
You dont know if hes ready because you havent seen him in the NHL yet. The reason i say hes ready is from the things he does on the ice without the puck... and he does them like a pro. Ex. battling, compete, Hockey IQ, quickness with his stick etc. The way hes wired , the way he plays is something some players take years to develop in the nhl. It shows he's learned to play hockey vs adults and the next natural progression for him is the NHL, the AHL is a step down... half the players there know they have no future so they've given up and the rest play for a spot in the nhl. I rather have him with St-Louis who's an amzing player's coach.

There's no way Mesar busts... he's wired the right way.

Nah, what you're describing has been the Montreal Canadiens method of development for as long as I've been following the team, and it has also been among the worst in the league during that time.

Overcook your prospects, make them earn the NHL, don't just put them in the lineup because they ''play the right way'' and ''already played against men.'' Mesar hasn't dominated his age group. He hasn't dominated anything but Slovakian U20, which I imagine is about as good as Canadian Midget AAA. If a prospect hasn't ever dominated, it's unlikely that they'll figure it out against the best players in the world. This is obvious.

 

[Schooner Guy]

Good heavens! Mesar most likely isn't ready for the NHL. When's the last time a small late-1st round pick made it to the NHL at age 18?

AHL, OHL or back overseas. Also the OHL isn't just children as someone else said. Mason McTavish was the #3 overall pick last year, maybe the best player at the WJC last Christmas...and he'll be a better player over the long haul for playing in the OHL this past season. Imagine if Mesar has a Wyatt Johnston type of season!

I really don't care about the upcoming summer WJC. To me it's a rushed joke of a tournament and it will be missing lots of marquee names because of the timing of it right before NHL camps. Most drafted kids have their minds set on NHL camps. Mesar should be playing for Slovakia at Christmas time however.

 

[RabbleMasterBlaster]

Nah, what you're describing has been the Montreal Canadiens method of development for as long as I've been following the team, and it has also been among the worst in the league during that time.

Overcook your prospects, make them earn the NHL, don't just put them in the lineup because they ''play the right way'' and ''already played against men.'' Mesar hasn't dominated his age group. He hasn't dominated anything but Slovakian U20, which I imagine is about as good as Canadian Midget AAA. If a prospect hasn't ever dominated, it's unlikely that they'll figure it out against the best players in the world. This is obvious.

Just latching around the word dominate. What does this mean in your context? Some players also don't dominate in their early careers and make a pretty good niche of themselves.

Imo every prospect gets the ability to prove their stuff at camp. We're not in any position where we need to rush anyone so if someone shows they can hang with the big boys, you give them that chance.

I don't see domination in a lower league as any indicator of a players projected abilities. Heck sometimes kids dominate the lower leagues but never put it together in there big leagues.

I trust the people in charge to do whatever is in the best interest of the player at this stage. You give them all the tools to succeed out of the gate.

 

[jaffy27]

Just latching around the word dominate. What does this mean in your context? Some players also don't dominate in their early careers and make a pretty good niche of themselves.

Imo every prospect gets the ability to prove their stuff at camp. We're not in any position where we need to rush anyone so if someone shows they can hang with the big boys, you give them that chance.

I don't see domination in a lower league as any indicator of a players projected abilities. Heck sometimes kids dominate the lower leagues but never put it together in there big leagues.

I trust the people in charge to do whatever is in the best interest of the player at this stage. You give them all the tools to succeed out of the gate.

I partly disagree……showing dominance at a “camp” should not be the determining factor.

Traditionally in camp, you have many AHLers competing, vets are pushing the pace in 2nd gear, they are not red lining it, we need to be careful here. You can easily set false expectations for the player making them think they can thrive in this league only to be disappointed one month later when the pace and grind of an NHL season veers its ugly head.

Let the player enjoy his camp and leave there with positive experiences which he can bring back in the lower league and build off of.

There are a few exceptions like Matthews and McDavid, but for the most part, best to send the kids back as juicy as the idea is to keep them around.

I agree with your last paragraph though, this management group seems to understand kids better then the last group. I trust Guhle, Xhekaj, Slaf, Mesar will all be seated at the correct chair come October.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Just latching around the word dominate. What does this mean in your context? Some players also don't dominate in their early careers and make a pretty good niche of themselves.

Imo every prospect gets the ability to prove their stuff at camp. We're not in any position where we need to rush anyone so if someone shows they can hang with the big boys, you give them that chance.

I don't see domination in a lower league as any indicator of a players projected abilities. Heck sometimes kids dominate the lower leagues but never put it together in there big leagues.

I trust the people in charge to do whatever is in the best interest of the player at this stage. You give them all the tools to succeed out of the gate.

It means offensively dominate. To me that means to be able to score regularly in a variety of ways.

Domination in a lower league is obviously an indicator of projected abilities. The claim that it's ''not any'' indicator is demonstrably false. I think what you mean to say is that prospects are capable of dominating at a lower level and not putting it together at the next level, and vice versa. But that's quite a different claim.

 

[Bombshell11]

Nah, what you're describing has been the Montreal Canadiens method of development for as long as I've been following the team, and it has also been among the worst in the league during that time.

Overcook your prospects, make them earn the NHL, don't just put them in the lineup because they ''play the right way'' and ''already played against men.'' Mesar hasn't dominated his age group. He hasn't dominated anything but Slovakian U20, which I imagine is about as good as Canadian Midget AAA. If a prospect hasn't ever dominated, it's unlikely that they'll figure it out against the best players in the world. This is obvious.

He doesn't need to dominate the score sheets at 18 years old, what he needs to dominate is the skills, the mindset and the IQ. He's got all that and hes very very strong physically for his size. The one thing he's got over many other players in the NHL is the compete level.... THAT is something you can lose by having someone ROT in the minors or the AHL.

Some players elevate their game when the challenge is higher and this guy seems to be that type of player.

Imagine if they sent Koivu in the AHL to develop for 4-5 years....would that have made him better? NOP
Koivu was one of the most competitive players on the ice every game. What would he have learned from playing with AHL players who most are just filling a jersey in the AHL?

Mesar seems to be made of the same cloth and hes got better skills. You need to let him play, let him learn from the pros early so by 20-21 he's the best player he can ever be and eventually become a captain.

Besides, a guy who's got so much compete and is young is crucial to a team if they want to go far.

But yeah we're still way too early, we need to see how he'll play during pre-season + 9 NHL games

 

[NotProkofievian]

He doesn't need to dominate the score sheets at 18 years old, what he needs to dominate is the skills, the mindset and the IQ. He's got all that and hes very very strong physically for his size. The one thing he's got over many other players in the NHL is the compete level.... THAT is something you can lose by having someone ROT in the minors or the AHL.

Some players elevate their game when the challenge is higher and this guy seems to be that type of player.

Imagine if they sent Koivu in the AHL to develop for 4-5 years....would that have made him better? NOP
Koivu was one of the most competitive players on the ice every game. What would he have learned from playing with AHL players who most are just filling a jersey in the AHL?

Mesar seems to be made of the same cloth and hes got better skills. You need to let him play, let him learn from the pros early so by 20-21 he's the best player he can ever be and eventually become a captain.

Besides, a guy who's got so much compete and is young is crucial to a team if they want to go far.

But yeah we're still way too early, we need to see how he'll play during pre-season + 9 NHL games

I'd like to politely disagree. Koivu in particular is a poor example given that he spent an extra two years in Finland to learn how to dominate before coming over to Montreal. Which he did, he lead the league in scoring by almost 20 points in his final year.

 

[montreal]

He doesn't need to dominate the score sheets at 18 years old, what he needs to dominate is the skills, the mindset and the IQ. He's got all that and hes very very strong physically for his size. The one thing he's got over many other players in the NHL is the compete level.... THAT is something you can lose by having someone ROT in the minors or the AHL.

Some players elevate their game when the challenge is higher and this guy seems to be that type of player.

Imagine if they sent Koivu in the AHL to develop for 4-5 years....would that have made him better? NOP
Koivu was one of the most competitive players on the ice every game. What would he have learned from playing with AHL players who most are just filling a jersey in the AHL?

Mesar seems to be made of the same cloth and hes got better skills. You need to let him play, let him learn from the pros early so by 20-21 he's the best player he can ever be and eventually become a captain.

Besides, a guy who's got so much compete and is young is crucial to a team if they want to go far.

But yeah we're still way too early, we need to see how he'll play during pre-season + 9 NHL games

why would we send any prospect to the AHL for 4-5 years when waivers would put an end to that for the top ones after 3 years. There's little harm in taking things slow with young inexperienced players especially ones that play in a weak pro league where the jump to the NHL would be big. More skilled then Koivu though? I call bull shit unless you don't know how good Koivu was before the knee injury or Mesar is highly skilled.

 

[peto10]

The key question here is if Montreal wants to develop Mesar into a center. If yes, then he should definitely go to the OHL.
Personally, I think that the AHL is too physical for him and I would want to see him in the OHL.

 

[Bombshell11]

why would we send any prospect to the AHL for 4-5 years when waivers would put an end to that for the top ones after 3 years. There's little harm in taking things slow with young inexperienced players especially ones that play in a weak pro league where the jump to the NHL would be big. More skilled then Koivu though? I call bull shit unless you don't know how good Koivu was before the knee injury or Mesar is highly skilled.

There's a ton of top prospects we ruined by letting them rot in the minors for too long. Fischer, Tinordi, Beaulieu, Poehling, Juulsen, Scherbak, Chipchura, . The only players that really benefited from going down are Pacioretty and maybe Plekanec, Pacioretty though hes the one who asked for more time in the AHL.

As for Koivu he was my favourite player for a very long time, he went to finland two years to complete his military service, he was ready for the pros at 18. Yes Koivu was very talented but Mesar does things a bit differently with more finesse and more skills besides that they're very similar in their attitude and in their compete level.

But we still need to see how both Slaf and Mesar will play during the pre-season and in some of the NHL games. Im not gonna sit here defending a position prior seing them againts NHL players.

All im saying so far is that Mesar looks like the real deal and we should give him the chance to prove himself and give him the opportunity to play in the NHL if we think he can follow the pace and not just send him in the minors "just because"