Breadcrumb Trail Links
Sports NHL Montreal Canadiens Hockey Inside Out Hockey
“If we have him, we’ll be happy,” Rocket head coach J.F. Houle says after first-round draft pick played last season with Kitchener Rangers.
Article content
It was at Canadiens training camp last year that defenceman Chris Wideman called Juraj Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar “Batman and Robin.”
Advertisement 2
Article content
“Every time I turn around they’re right next to each other,” Wideman said at the time. “So if I ever see one, the other one’s not too far away.”
Article content
Slafkovsky and Mesar were the Canadiens’ two first-round draft picks last season — selected first and 26th overall, respectively. They grew up as close friends in Slovakia and as youngsters played on the same team at the Quebec City international pee-wee tournament. They also attended a Canadiens summer hockey camp together in 2014 at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
But their paths took different routes after training camp last year. Slafkovsky stayed with the Canadiens and had an underwhelming rookie NHL season as an 18-year-old with 4-6-10 totals in 39 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Mesar was sent to the junior Kitchener Rangers in the OHL, where he was also underwhelming for a first-round draft pick with 17-34-51 totals in 52 regular-season games. In nine playoff games, Mesar had 1-3-4 totals.
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
“It was not great, not bad,” Mesar said about his season Sunday at the Canadiens’ development camp in Brossard. “There was some upside and down. I’m taking it positively because I had a really good billet family. Now I know how it’s going to be in Canada. Hockey in Canada is a little bit different. But I got used to it and now I know how it’s going to be next season. I took it positively and it was a great experience for me.”
Despite not lighting it up in the OHL, Mesar said he expects to play for the AHL’s Laval Rocket next season.
“Last season, before they sent me down to Kitchener Rangers, we were talking a lot about it,” Mesar said about discussions with Canadiens management. “They told me that it’s going to be only for one year and then next year I’m going to be playing in Laval. That’s what my agent also said. First year in Canada, it was a little bit to adapt to Canada’s hockey and the ice is a little smaller. Hopefully I’m going to be playing in Laval next season.”
Advertisement 4
Article content
Advertisement 5
Article content
When Rocket head coach J.F. Houle was asked Monday if Mesar will play in Laval, he responded: “We’ll see what management will decide.”
Houle added: “If we have him, we’ll be happy.”
Houle said sending Mesar to Kitchener last year was as much about having the 5-foot-9, 179-pound right-winger develop off the ice as it was on the ice.
“For Europeans, getting adjusted to the rink, the lifestyle, the language is a big thing,” Houle said. “Coming a year ahead is a nice thing for them to get their feet wet. Now, hopefully he could put that behind him and be ready for a good first pro season.”
Before being drafted by the Canadiens, Mesar spent two seasons playing with and against men for HK Poprad in the Slovak Extraliga, the top league in Slovakia. He said playing in the younger OHL was also an adjustment for him.
Advertisement 6
Article content
“It was something different than in Europe,” he said. “The guys were good friends and everything, but I think it wasn’t that professional. Professionalism wasn’t on the level like with men’s hockey. But it was a pretty good experience. It helped me.”
We’ll find out how much it helped next season. It’s hard to imagine Mesar not being in Laval, where the Rocket will have a young team and he should get a chance to play a lot.
The highlight for Mesar last season was the world junior championship, where he had 2-4-6 totals in five games. Slovakia lost 4-3 in overtime of the quarterfinals to Canada on a highlight-reel goal by Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick at this year’s NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Advertisement 7
Article content
“That game was crazy,” Mesar said. “It was probably one of the best games I ever played.
“It was something special at world juniors. We were a really good group of guys, really good friends. It was a fun time there. I really enjoyed it.”
He probably would have enjoyed it even more if Slafkovsky had been with him.
If Mesar does play in Laval next season, I asked him if he might live with Slafkovsky.
“I don’t think so,” Mesar said. “I want to live by myself next year to see how it’s going to be. I’m 19 years old, I’m going to be 20 soon (on Jan. 3), so I just want to start living by myself.”
Mesar and Slafkovsky kept in touch on a regular basis last season with phone calls and texts.
“I asked him a lot of questions, but he said: ‘You’ll see how it’s going to be,’” Mesar said. “‘It’s pretty hard, but you’ll see one day.’ So hopefully I’ll see one day.”
scowan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/StuCowan1
Stu Cowan: Canadiens fan has a special gift for David Reinbacher
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24769102/IMG_3454.jpeg?resize=75%2C75&ssl=1 "Meta’s Twitter competitor, Threads, launches on July 6th")
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
Join the Conversation