OHL: Filip Mesar has already surpassed his point total from last season

Tyler Toffoli was a fan favorite when he played with the Montreal Canadiens for a season (2020-2021) and a half (2021-2022).

He quickly became a crowd favorite, and one of the most important players in the team’s success.

Unfortunately, due to the Habs’ setbacks during the 2021-2022 season, Tyler Toffoli was traded by the new management, and therefore by Kent Hughes, some time before the trade deadline.

Even though Toffoli still had two and a half seasons left on his contract, the Habs’ new general manager opted to trade number 73, which displeased many fans, including me.

Toffoli was only 29 years old and coming off his best season ever in terms of points per game.

In short, Kent Hughes had better get a good return for the forward in a trade, and that’s what we’re still wondering to this day, whether he made a good deal.

In return from the Calgary Flames, the Habs basically got their hands on prospect Emil Heineman and a first-round pick that yielded Filip Mesar.

Heineman, 22, is having a decent season with the Laval Rocket this year, while having played four games with the Habs in the NHL.

Whether he’ll ever establish himself as a good NHL player remains to be seen.

As for Mesar, well, he rather disappointed last season in the OHL.

His harvest of less than a point per game (51 points in 52 games) was disappointing and worrying.

Well, this season, Mesar has already surpassed that 51-point mark, with 52 points in 41 games.

In fact, he picked up three points, including a goal, last night in the Kitchener Rangers’ 9-2 win over the Owen Sound Attack.

So Mesar already has one more point than last season, in 11 fewer games.

That’s a big improvement in terms of production for the Habs prospect, but is it enough?

Mesar is producing at a rate of 1.27 points per game, which is decent for a 20-year-old in the OHL, but somewhat below expectations for a first-round pick.

The Habs prospect once again slowed down in the second half, after starting the season on fire.

With last night’s game, Mesar reached 20 points in 21 games for his second half of the season.

In short, there’s no need to worry that Mesar won’t be as dominant as he’d like in the OHL, because he’s only 20 years old, and he could very well have an excellent season in the AHL as early as next season.

And let’s not forget that it’s not just the points that count, and that despite everything, Mesar plays good hockey and seems to have adapted very well to North American ice.

Last 2 weeks Filip Mesar has looked dominant. His game is really starting to come together. Starting to look more comfortable and confident on North American ice. Skating and decision making with the puck has become closer to elite as well.

– Sebastian J (He/Him) (@SebJackson90) March 16, 2024

In short, he’s a prospect to keep an eye on, because if he doesn’t become a good Habs player, the Tyler Toffoli deal will clearly have been a failure.

In a gust

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– To be continued in MLB.