“Want him to continue having opportunity” – Filip Mesar likely to reach NHL with Montreal Canadiens via Laval or Kitchener
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Filip Mesar
Slovak ice hockey forward Filip Mesar seemed to have fulfilled a personal incentive on making it to the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens. Mesar is notably only the third Slovakia-born player selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
This took place when the Canadiens picked the 5-foot-10, 167-pound player at No. 26, and the diminutive playmaker was lifted off his feet. He was later engulfed in a bear hug by his good friend and fellow countryman, the No. 1 pick, and also by Montreal, Juraj Slafkovsky. On the other hand, the New Jersey Devils selected Slovakia’s defenseman Simon Nemec at No. 2.
“Yeah, me and Juraj we have known each other very well since we were kids,” Mesar said, as quoted by NHL.com. “We were in a lot of tournaments together. Our fathers are very good friends and this year we went on vacation together, our families. So, we know each other very well and I’m happy to be here with him.”
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“Very happy to be one of two Slovak guys here”
Ranked No. 20 by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the draft, the Spisska Bela native Mesar had 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 37 regular-season games and four points (three goals, one assist) in six playoff games last season with Poprad in Tipos Extraliga, the top professional men’s league in Slovakia.
“It’s very special,” Mesar said. “I’m very happy to be [one of] two Slovak guys here. It’s maybe easy to adapt here for me. We are two very good friends, and I got some experience from him.”
“We want him to continue to have the opportunity to have success offensively, to play on the power play and all aspects of the game,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. “If we’re not in a position to offer him that in Laval, then for sure we would put him in Kitchener instead. But we’ll look at that week to week when we’re in [training] camp.”
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Sachin Arora
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