When the Montreal Canadiens drafted Juraj Slafkovsky first overall at the 2022 draft, they had a second selection in the inaugural round and went back to the Slovakian well, picking up Filip Mesar with the 26th overall pick.
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While Mesar was immediately signed to an entry-level contract like his countryman Slafkovsky, the former didn’t get to start in the NHL right away and was even sent down to the Ontario Hockey League for a couple of seasons after short auditions in Laval.
For some, Mesar had two disappointing seasons with the Kitchener Rangers gathering 103 points in 97 games. The hopes of seeing him light up the OHL might have been a bit unrealistic, after all, he was an 18-year-old kid who had to get used to North American play and had never left his home country to play before unlike Slafkovsky. Others had more realistic expectations which were met though.
Playing on the Laval Rocket third line in the AHL alongside Owen Beck and Jared Davidson, Mesar was off to a great start this season with five points in as many games, but he was stopped in his tracks by a lower-body injury which will keep him out of action for eight to 10 weeks.
It’s been a tough start to the season for Canadiens prospects with David Reinbacher being written off for five to six months and now Mesar biting the dust, it seems like the injury bug is not just after the NHL club anymore.
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