A Perfect First Round Selection For The Flyers

When I first took a stab at whom the Philadelphia Flyers would take in the 1^st round of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft back in February, the Flyers were looking to be playoff bound. This meant that they would be drafting much later than where they now will be selecting from, seeing that the Flyers struggled down the stretch and ended up missing out on the playoff completely. I still very much like my previous selection of Zachary L’Heureux from the Halifax Mooseheads who can offer both grit and toughness to any line he plays on, but also possesses a scores touch as well: Recording 39 points in 33 games played (GP) this year- a 1.18 point per game (PPG) average. However, now the Flyers will be fortunate enough to garner a much better prospect thanks to their colossal collapse this season. 

With that being said, while the Flyers should still look to draft the best player available, they need a center who can score. Yes, the team had defensive struggles which need to be addressed immediately, via both the free agency and through the additions of a few of the team’s up and coming blueliners who proved to be deserving of more than just the curtain call they got at the end of this season. Cameron York and Egor Zamula stand a fairly good chance of being on the Flyers’ opening-night roster at the start of next season, and they are but just of the tip of the iceberg as far as defensive prospects go who already within the team’s system. 

In saying that, the center position is a much more glaring hole moving forward. The Flyers’ number two-overall pick (restricted free agent) Nolan Patrick’s play this season was a huge let down. Coming back from yet another injury, Nolan played timid at times and offered the team limited point production and a horrendous plus/minus average. By now I think most would agree that he has just not lived up to the hype that came with his draft stock. Then, you have the uncertainty of whether prospect Morgan Frost’s diminutive size will continue to affect his durability, given the fact that he managed to play in just two games this season for the Flyers before being delivered a crushing hit that resulted in his season coming to an early end. 

One such prospect from this year’s draft that possesses the size and plays with the kind of grit that Philadelphia fans have come to expect from their players is Mason McTavish of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Peterborough Petes. 

Mason, who is 6’2 and 207 pounds, is a big-bodied center who can play wing as well. McTavish is a pure goal scorer that absolutely torches the back of the net in games with his powerful and accurate wrist shots, snap shots, and one timers. In fact, his powerful shot (which he pairs with a quick release) is exactly what made scouts start to stand up and take notice of him last year (which was his first in Canadian Major Junior hockey) where he totaled an impressive 29 goals and 13 assists for 42 points in just 57 games played for the Petes. 

But with Covid still hanging around and the OHL deciding to not play at all this season McTavish was forced to take his talents elsewhere to further develop his game. His decision was to head back to the place where he was born- his native Switzerland, where his father (former Canadian-born NHLer Dale) spent many years playing until Mason was almost an adolescent. Mason played in the SL this year (a professional league). This decision to play against men was a good one, because it only forced Mason to have to compete that much harder. Over the course of this season in Switzerland McTavish not only scored 9 goals and 2 assists for 11 points in just 13 GP, but he also managed to become stronger on the puck: breaking through the opposition’s defenses with ease. This relentless drive even helped him when he did not score after ripping off one of his impressive shots. McTavish would then rectify his failed attempt by crashing the net, muscling his way to get the rebound and then rifle it by the goaltender before they had the chance to cover it and prevent the goal. 

On top of that, Mason has proven he possesses some play-making skills as well: Assisting teammates Shane Wright and Connor Bedard for team Canada in the World Junior Championships U-18 Tournament that was played down in Frisco, Texas just a few short weeks ago. In fact, McTavish’s efforts were so impressive in this tournament (scoring 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points in 7 games played) that he was one of the main reasons Canada was able to win GOLD there. McTavish even managed to outshine and outscore team Canada teammate (and potential top five pick) Dylan Guenther in the process.   

McTavish’s game is not all offense though: He is a 200 ft type of guy, which was evident in this tournament as well seeing his plus 10 average. Mason plays with the same relentless grit and toughness in his own defensive zone that allows him to be so dominant in the oppositions’. His defensive-zone efforts are just one of the many things that set McTavish apart from the rest of the top prospects in this draft class. 

For all these reasons (and more), if this pure sniper who plays with the kind of tenacity Flyers fans love, but have not seen the likes of on the Flyers roster lately is still on the board when general manager Chuck Fletcher is put on the clock he would be most wise to select this elite-level talent!