The Montreal Canadiens had three prospects playing at the recent World Junior Hockey Championships that was unfortunately cut short by a Covid outbreak.
One of their prospects playing in the tournament was Jan Mysak who had high hopes for his Czechia team. They started well, jumping out to a 3-1 lead against Canada but eventually lost the game, thanks to Mason McTavish’s incredible skill, and Czechia then surprisingly lost to Germany as well.
Mysak has since returned to his Hamilton Bulldogs team in the Ontario Hockey League and they are gearing up for a lengthy playoff run.
The Bulldogs packaged nearly a dozen draft picks in separate trades to acquire McTavish, who was among the most impressive players at the World Juniors and started the season in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks after they drafted him third overall, as well as Canadiens prospect Arber Xhekaj.
The additions of McTavish and Xhekaj make the Bulldogs a formidable team and now a favorite to go on a deep playoff run in the OHL.
It also gave Mysak a new centre. Mason McTavish is arguably the best player in the OHL this season. He has scored seven goals in just six games this season after beginning the year with three points in nine NHL contests.
The two found chemistry pretty much immediately in their first game together last night. Early in the second period, McTavish used a burst of speed down the boards to create a scoring chance for the Bulldogs. He fired a backhand pass across the front of the net and Mysak cut to the net and redirected it in for his 18th of the season.
The pair would link up again shortly after Mysak’s goal. This time Mysak carried the puck into the Niagara Ice Dogs zone and dropped the puck for McTavish who fired a bullet of a wrist shot into the top of the net.
That wasn’t the most creative or skilled assist of Mysak’s career, but he didn’t take long to show off his vision and passing ability. He cruised into the opponent’s zone in the third period with the puck and fired a perfect, cross-ice pass to his teammate who one-timed the puck into the net.
It was Mysak’s 16th assist of the season, putting him up to 34 points in 26 games this season. He had 31 points in 25 games without Mason McTavish and is poised to score far more in his next 25 games.
The Bulldogs are a team to keep an eye on in the OHL and their first line left winger Jan Mysak is definitely worth keeping close tabs on as well.