The Montreal Canadiens made a lot of noise early in the NHL Draft. They drafted Slovakian Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the draft. That sent a few shockwaves throughout the hockey world.
They also swung a pair of trades that saw Alexander Romanov dealt to the New York Islanders for the 13th overall pick. That pick was then flipped to the Chicago Blackhawks with a third round pick for 2019 third overall pick Kirby Dach.
Things finally settled a little bit inside the Bell Centre where the draft is being held. But then the Habs walked up to the podium once again for the 26th overall pick and the crowd erupted once again.
This time, the Canadiens selected Filip Mesar. He is also from Slovakia and is a skilled right winger who was ranked around the 20th-30th slot by most experts who put out draft rankings.
Mesar played pro in Slovakia last season, and scored eight goals and 16 points in 37 games. He added three goals and four points in six playoff games. It was his second year playing with the same pro team and he had 14 points in 36 games in the 2020-21 season.
The 5’10” and 174 pound winger was fantastic at the Gretzky-Hlinka tournament last season among Under-18 players. He scored two goals and eight points in five games for Slovakia at that event, and was named to their past two World Junior teams though he played just two games each year due to injury and then Covid shutdown.
We should get a good look at him this summer when he plays for Slovakia at the summer World Juniors in Alberta.
Even after their two selections and couple of trades, the Canadiens still hold ten picks heading into tomorrow when they will complete rounds two through six of the 2022 NHL Draft.
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