Flyers Draft Options: Center Mason McTavish
Evaluating hockey talent, especially prospects, is an incredibly difficult thing to do, and there’s a reason that people that can do it really well make tons of money. I do not make tons of money to evaluate hockey talent, but through my research I’ve found a number of potential draft picks for the Flyers to draft in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. If the Flyers actually make one of these draft selections, the chosen player will be one I’d love to see in Philadelphia.
Mason McTavish is an OHL prospect whose draft stock is on the rise due to some recent success he’s had at the Under-18 World Championship, where he put up 11 points in seven games as he captained team Canada to the Gold medal. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the OHL cancel the entirety of the 2020-21 season. As a result, McTavish was loaned out to ECH Olten of the Swiss League, the second tier of professional hockey in the country, where he finished with nine goals and two assists in 13 games.
The real uncertainty around this past year makes projecting McTavish incredibly difficult, with various websites and mock drafts having him ranked as high as the fifth best prospect, while some have him as low as 32nd. Naturally it is impossible for me to say whether McTavish will actually be available at 13, but his rank as the 2nd best skater in North America by NHL Central Scouting makes more than a compelling case.
Centers are usually valued above wingers in the NHL, but the ability to play both positions is something highly coveted. McTavish is a natural center, receiving praise for his faceoff ability. He is also capable of playing on the left wing, which would help take advantage of his true strength, a lethal wrist shot.
The Flyers have gained somewhat of a reputation for being a pass happy organization, with a team full of playmakers but few if any pure scorers. McTavish, while he has shown some flashes of elite playmaking ability, is more renowned for his pure goal scoring, getting open on power plays, and getting dirty chances along the boards and in front of the net to score via deflection or from sharp angles.
This level of grit translates well in the 200-foot game as well, with him receiving high praise for his puck protection and tenacity on the forecheck. Measuring at 6’2” and 207 pounds, according to Elite Prospects, he certainly has the size for that gritty of a style of play. Similarly, in his own zone he has also been lauded for his ability to backcheck and for heads up play defensively to force turnovers and make breaks going the other way. His play won’t likely reach the level of a Sean Couturier, but his competency in his own zone is certainly a plus.
His skating seems to be a main point of contention amongst different sources, and is likely one of the reasons his draft position varies so wildly. NHL Central Scouting refers to him as a powerful skater with good balance, while his draft profile on The Last Word on Sports states that some poor technique may limit his top end speed, something that is extremely important in today’s game.
Grading a player on 20 games in two different leagues is a difficult, if not impossible, thing to do. The skating could understandably raise some eyebrows, as it will limit his ceiling or otherwise extend time in development, but Mason McTavish has certainly got all of the tools to be a star in this league. While not necessarily my favorite of the forwards in this draft, if he falls to 13, it would be difficult to make a case for passing on this big-bodied, goal-scoring center out of the OHL.