The hard-hitting two-way center is ranked second among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and has drawn comparisons to some elite NHL power pivots.
Brian Hedger|The Columbus Dispatch
Editor's note: This is eight in a nine-parta series of profiles analyzing potential draft prospects for the Blue Jackets. Columbus holds three first-round picks: No. 5, No. 24 and No. 31 overall.
Part 1: Owen Power
Part 2: Matty Beniers
Part 3: Luke Hughes
Part 4: Brandt Clarke
Part 5: Kent Johnson
Part 6:Dylan Guenther
Part 7: Simon Edvinsson
Part 8: William Eklund
Today: Mason M
Mason McTavish grew upin rural Ontarioidolizing superstarcentersSidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews.
That makes him a lot like throngs ofyoungCanadian hockey players who did the samewatching thecaptains of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Crosby) and Chicago Blackhawks (Toews).What sets McTavish apartis his talent, whichshouldgive him ashot to emulate those twoandotherNHL centersadoredin Canada.
He’s big,skilledandbuilt like a tank.He’sprogrammed like one too,capable ofhounding pucks andinflicting damagein all three zones.That sure sounds like a guythe Blue Jackets could use, especially after trading Pierre-Luc Dubois — an even bigger“McTank”— to the Winnipeg Jets in January.
McTavishwas once thought to be a player who’d still be availablenear the10thpickin this weekend’s2021 NHL draft,which starts Friday,butnot anymore.He’s nowexpectedto go in the top fiveand for good reason.
Here’s what to know aboutMcTavish, astout two-way center rankedsecondon NHL Central Scouting’s list ofNorth Americanskaters:
Position:Center
Height/weight:6-1,207
Shoots:Left
Birthdate:Jan.30, 2003
Hometown:Zurich,Switzerland
Teams:EHC Olten(Swiss League);CanadaU18
2020-21 pointtotals:9 goals, 2assistsin 13games (SL);5goals, 6assists in7games(U18)
McTavishelicits interestingcomparisons.
HisNHL size,fearlesstwo-way game,dominatingfaceoffnumbers, leadership qualitiesand CanadianupbringingconjurevisionsofChicagoBlackhawks captain Jonathan Toewsand St. Louis BluescaptainRyan O’Reilly.
His lastname brings to mind another successful center.
McTavishisn’trelated toCraig MacTavish,athree-time Stanley Cup winnerwith the Edmonton Oilers, who played1,093 gamesin a17-year NHL career,but his dad is aformer NHLpivot.DaleMcTavishplayed nine games for the Calgary Flames in 1996-97before spending14 yearsin Europe, including10in Switzerland, where Mason was born.
Thenthere’s Ogie Oglethorpe.
“I get that one a lot,” McTavish said, laughing.
Oglethorpeis a fictional character from “Slapshot,”aclassichockeyfilmfromthe late 1970sstarring Paul Newman.McTavish’sburlybuild and overflowing salad bowl of hair spark the comparisons to Oglethorpe, a similarly coiffed 21-year brawler in the film who’s had, “A very trying rookie season –what withthe litigation,the notoriety, his subsequentdeportation to Canadaand that country’srefusalto accept him…”
McTavish isn’tquitethat notorious, yet,butgiveitsometime.
He hasan“old school” edge to his game thatbecomesscarcerwith every passing NHL seasonanditcouldpushMcTavishhigher up thedraftboard.It might also make return trips to his hometown of tiny Carp, Ontario, a burgh of about 2,000 people near Ottawa, a little more meddlesome,especiallyif McTavishhelpsan Americanteamwin the Stanley Cupagainst the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs.
At the moment, however,McTavish isa bit of a Canadian hero afterhelpinghis country’s national teamwingold at the 2021 U18 world championships in Frisco, Texas.It was a team loaded with talent and McTavish tied for third in scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in seven games.
“It was a really deep team andwe werekind of lucky to have thetournament,” McTavish said, referring tothe COVID-19 pandemic that completely shut down his chance to play a second season with the Peterborough Petesinthe Ontario Hockey League. “It was a tough year for a lot of people and for the IIHF to get that tournament going. It meant a lot to all the players, and itwas nice to get playing ontheNorth Americanicesurface again.”
That’s becauseMcTavish arrivedaftera stintin Switzerland, where he played on a loan agreementwith EHC Olten intheSwissLeague,that country’ssecond-tier professional circuit.After waiting three monthsto geta work visaafter turning 18,McTavishjoinedthe team for 13 games plus one playoff round — teaming upBrennanOthmann, another highly-ranked 2021 draft prospect with Swiss/Canadian citizenship.
“We lived together with the president of the team and they took care of us really well,” said McTavish, whohadnine goals and two assists in the regular season and 2-5-7in the team’sfirst-roundvictory.“It kind of reminds me of Canada, the way that people are super politeandsuper niceover there.It’s a beautiful country and itwas niceto get back there. I would’ve rather played in Peterborough, but I’d 100% do it again if the circ*mstances were similar.”
McTavish’s performance for EHC Olten, againstEuropeanprofessionals,boosted his draft profile. His performance for Canada afterward sent it even higher. Scouts also like the group heskateswithin thesummer, which includes about $65 million worth of NHL talentsome days at a practice rink innearbyKanata,where the Senatorsplay home games atCanadian Tire Centre.
The group often includes San Jose Sharks star defenseman Erik Karlsson,Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux,Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot, Florida Panthers defensemanMacKenzieWeegar, Senators forward Nick Pauland Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan — who’s also from Carp.
And that’s just a partial list.
“There were probably about 20 NHL guys out there, and it's pretty much an NHL practice,” McTavish said.“It’s a great experience for some of the junior guys who come, who are lucky enough to get out there. You learn a lot.It’s great toskate with them and compare yourself,andwhen you start competing against them and realizingyou’re kind of fitting in and you belong, it’s cool to see.”
McTavish didn’t just “fit in” during the early sessions,either.He also keptpacelater in the summer,whenNHL players began ramping up theireffort level to prepare fortrainingcamps.
It was yet another confidence boost.
“I just kind of go at it like anybody else out there,” said McTavish, whowas joined at those summer workoutsby fellow draft prospects Brandt Clark and Connor Lockhart. “They just kind of treat us like NHL players, which is super cool. They give us a lot of respect andtreat us, I guess, almost likelittle brothers.”
McTavish already has the NHL in his sights.
“That’s my goal,” he said. “Play in the NHL as soon as possible. But there’s a lot of work to do, and it will depend on how (training) camp goes or what team I even go to … but that’s my goal, for sure.”
As for his hairstyle?
That’s already NHL quality.
“I don't even remember the last time I got it cut,” McTavish said. “It just curls up when it gets long.My U18s(headshot)lookslike I’ma caveman. They got me a little bit off guard.Wewalked into the rink in the morning andall of a sudden,I’m standing there taking a picture.I’ll probably keepit like this for a while, though. It’s just, I guess, my identity now.”
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger
