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Habs Prospect Report: Mesar Off To Great Start, Beck’s First

Originally posted on Montreal Hockey Now | By Marc Dumont | Last updated Oct 21, 2024 5:32 PM ET

Much has been written about Filip Mesar’s overall potential, an inevitable situation given that he was picked in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens. And while some have suggested his play in the OHL was underwhelming, it was much too early to write off the 20-year-old prospect.

Filip Mesar’s Strong Start

Mesar spent two seasons playing professional hockey in Slovakia before he was asked to join the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He ended up producing a little over 1 point per game in his return to amateur hockey, but it was clear that the skilled forward had to adjust his style of play to the new setting.

That’s why 2024-25 will be the most important season of Mesar’s young career. We can give him the benefit of the doubt as to his tenure in the OHL, but now that he’s back to playing professional hockey with a higher quality of teammate, there’s no grace period left when it comes to his NHL aspirations.

Fortunately, Mesar sprinted out of the gate, earning a goal and two assists in Laval’s season-opening win over the Providence Bruins. He followed it up by earning two assists in the next three games, which means his one goal and four assists currently leads the Rocket in scoring.

He’s playing an engaged brand of hockey, exactly what the doctor ordered for a talented prospect that didn’t always seem interested in heading to the dirty areas of the ice while he was in the OHL. Of course, he will have to maintain a heightened effort level throughout the entirety of the season, but there’s no denying he has begun his AHL career (in earnest) on the right foot.

I do apologize for the quality of the footage, but such is life in many AHL arenas. Providence is probably one of the lowest-quality feeds available in the entire league.

Owen Beck Breaks The Ice

Another important player has found his scoring rhythm in the AHL, as rookie Owen Beck scored his first professional goal in his fourth professional game (emergency call-ups to the NHL notwithstanding). I’m not particularly worried about Beck’s offensive game, but there’s no doubt he has to score with regularity as the season unfolds if he’s to jump to the front of the call-up line.

His work ethic, combined with his well-rounded game is the main reason I’m not worried about Beck’s eventual ascension to the NHL. He’s a fast learner while also being a Swiss Army knife in the versatility department. We know Beck will work hard every night, it’s what he does best.

On that note, I will once again give credit to Mesar, as he did not hesitate to get engaged in the play, and he drove into traffic to keep the play alive before he attracted the attention of the players covering him before he found Beck, who had done a great job exploiting the open ice.

Le v’là!

Un 1er but avec le Rocket pour Owen Beck, sur une superbe passe de Filip Mesar @RocketLaval
: RDS2 pic.twitter.com/RCdRpubpFZ

— RDS (@RDSca) October 19, 2024

Joshua Roy Runs Hot And Cold

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but prospect Joshua Roy was held scoreless in the first two games of the AHL season, before scoring two goals and an assist against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night.

It’s probably a little unfair to suggest he did not play well against Springfield and Providence despite the lack of production. Roy had six and three shots in those games, respectively, and that’s the exact type of shot production that leads to an uptick in scoring. But it is a reminder that when things go well, Roy’s positive impact will usually make up for the games in which he wasn’t among the team’s best players.