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Filip Mešár

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Filip Mešár
Born (2004-01-03) 3 January 2004 (age 20)
Spišská Belá, Slovakia
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Laval Rocket (AHL)
HK Poprad
NHL draft 26th overall, 2022
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2020–present

Filip Mešár (born 3 January 2004) is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

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Slovakia

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Mešár began his professional career with HK Poprad, competing firstly with both their under-16 and under-18 tiers. He then moved up to the team's senior ranks in the Slovak Extraliga for the 2020–21 season. Being just 16 when he first entered the foregoing league, Mešár noted that some of his teammates had children his own age, sparking media attention when he scored a goal on his very first shift.[1] He played 36 games in the regular season, and then participated in the team's deep run to the playoff finals, where they were ultimately defeated by HKM Zvolen.

Submitting his name for consideration in the 2021 CHL Import Draft, Mešár was selected ninth overall by the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[2] However, he opted to remain in Slovakia for the following season, saying that he was "satisfied with the management of the club and the conditions I have here for my further advancement."[3] Mešár would record eight goals and eight assists in 37 games played, and likewise manage three goals and an assist in six playoff games, before Poprad was eventually eliminated by HK Nitra in the first round.[4]

North America

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2022 NHL entry draft

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Prior to the 2022 NHL entry draft, Mešár was rated as a possible late first round selection or early candidate in the second round of proceedings.[5][6][7][8] On 7 July 2022, the Montreal Canadiens selected Mešár 26th overall (using a pick previously acquired in trade from the Calgary Flames for Tyler Toffoli).[9][10] The Canadiens had also selected his longtime friend and national teammate Juraj Slafkovský first overall, to both men's satisfaction.[11] The foregoing draft proved an overall historic night for Slovakian ice hockey as both Slafkovský and fellow countryman Šimon Nemec occupied the top two spots,[12][13] whereas Mešár for his part rounded out the country's most selections during the course of the first round in any given draft year.[14]

On 14 July, Mešár signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[15] Team general manager Kent Hughes suggested that Mešár's next step was undecided at that particular juncture, offering that he would likely play either in the OHL with Kitchener or in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Canadiens' top affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[16]

Major junior

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After participating in the Canadiens' preseason camp, Mešár was reassigned to Laval's training camp. He made his AHL debut on 14 October 2022, playing on the fourth line in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Belleville Senators. The following day, it was announced that he was loaned to the Rangers.[17] While Mešár had hoped to play with the Rocket for the rest of the season, the Canadiens' development staff believed he would benefit more from playing at the top of the lineup in Kitchener. On arrival, he said that "I want to be a leader here. I want to get some points and help the team win."[1] In his debut with the Rangers on 21 October, Mešár scored a goal and registered three assists in a 7–2 victory over the Sudbury Wolves.[18]

Professional

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In October 2024, Mešár was assigned to Laval to begin the 2024–25 AHL season, his first of professional rank in North America.[19] After a strong start to his inaugural campaign with the Rocket, Mešár would suffer a lower-body injury after just five games played, sidelining him for a period of eight to ten weeks as a result.[20] He subsequently returned to the team's lineup on 20 December.[21]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Slovakia
Men's ice hockey
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Silver medal – second place 2021 Czech Republic/Slovakia

Mešár made his international debut for Slovakia with the country's under-18 national team at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, recording two goals and six assists en route to winning a silver medal.[2] He was then selected as part of the under-20 national team for the 2022 World Junior Championships, appearing in two games before tournament play was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 HK Poprad Slovak-Jr. 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2019–20 HK Poprad Slovak-Jr. 33 13 28 41 8 — — — — —
2020–21 HK Poprad Slovak 36 4 10 14 4 15 2 2 4 2
2021–22 HK Poprad Slovak 37 8 8 16 8 6 3 1 4 0
2022–23 Laval Rocket AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Kitchener Rangers OHL 52 17 34 51 8 9 1 3 4 0
2023–24 Laval Rocket AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Kitchener Rangers OHL 45 19 33 52 12 10 1 15 16 6
AHL totals 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
Slovak totals 73 12 18 30 12 21 5 3 8 2

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Slovakia WJC 8th 2 0 0 0 0
2021 Slovakia HG18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 2 6 8 0
2023 Slovakia WJC 6th 5 2 4 6 2
Junior totals 12 4 10 14 2

References

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  1. ^ a b Brown, Josh (19 October 2022). "Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar embracing move to Kitchener Rangers". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Josh (30 June 2021). "Rangers see Slovakian forward Filip Mesar as a top-line player". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Filip Mešár ostáva v Poprade aj v ďalšej sezóne" [Filip Mešár will stay in Poprad in the next season as well] (in Slovak). HK Poprad. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. ^ Chauvancy, Alex (6 April 2022). "Filip Mešár — 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile". TheHockeyWriters.com. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Bob McKenzie's Mid-Season Draft Rankings". TSN. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  6. ^ Pronman, Corey (5 July 2022). "2022 NHL Draft prospects: Juraj Slafkovsky leads Corey Pronman's final ranking". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  7. ^ Wheeler, Scott (6 June 2022). "NHL Draft 2022 top 100 prospects: Scott Wheeler's final rankings". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Bob McKenzie's Final 2022 Draft Ranking". TSN. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Canadiens select Filip Mesar with 26th overall pick". Montreal Canadiens. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2024 – via NHL.com.
  10. ^ "Canadiens select Filip Mesar 26th overall in 2022 NHL Draft". Sportsnet. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ^ Cowan, Stu (13 July 2022). "Juraj Slafkovsky, Filip Mesar ready to grow with Canadiens". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  12. ^ Schram, Carol (8 July 2022). "Slovak Surprise: Slafkovsky And Nemec Make History As Top Two Picks In 2022 NHL Draft". Forbes. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  13. ^ Whyno, Stephen (8 July 2022). "Slafkovsky, Nemec lead new Slovak hockey golden generation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  14. ^ Powers, Scott (8 July 2022). "NHL Draft provides Slovakian hockey with historic moment". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Three-year, entry-level contract for Filip Mesar". Montreal Canadiens. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2024 – via NHL.com.
  16. ^ Cowan, Stu (14 July 2022). "Canadiens sign first-round draft pick Filip Mesar to entry-level deal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Canadiens loan forward Filip Mesar to OHL's Kitchener Rangers". Sportsnet. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  18. ^ Cowan, Stu (22 October 2022). "Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar shines in his OHL debut". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  19. ^ McGoey, Steven (29 September 2024). "Montreal Canadiens Assign 27 Players to Laval Rocket". The Hockey News. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  20. ^ Hains, Karine (29 October 2024). "Canadiens: Mesar Sadly Sidelined". The Hockey News. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  21. ^ @RocketLaval (20 December 2024). "De retour dans la formation ce soir:
    Arseneau et Mešár
    Back in the lineup tonight:
    Arseneau and Mešár"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Blades, Justin (8 July 2022). "Getting to know Montreal Canadiens 26th overall pick Filip Mesar". Habs Eyes on the Prize. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
2022 		Succeeded by
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