Slovak prospect confirms that he met with the Leafs at the NHL's Draft Combine this week
The NHL's 2022 Draft Combine will come to a close on Saturday and we're likely going to begin hearing more about the teams that a number of prospects have met with. As far as the Leafs go, we already know of at least one prospect that they met with, and it could indicate that they are indeed leaning toward keeping their first round pick (25th overall).
Slovak winger Filip Mesar confirmed on Saturday morning that he Leafs were one of the teams that he had met with during the draft combine. It's not uncommon for teams to meet with players who may end up being drafted several spots ahead of where they're picking. At times, it may lead to a team trading up for a specific player, but it can also be a beneficial exercise in the event that a player falls in the draft lower than expected for one reason or another.
As far as Mesar's draft projections go, he's all over the place. Smaht Scouting currently has Mesar as the 9th ranked prospect, while Elite Prospects has him ranked 17th. TSN's Bob McKenzie has the 18-year-old 22nd on his list and The Hockey Writer's Peter Baracchini has the Slovak forward ranked 24th. Really, it's anyone's guess at this point where Mesar goes, but with the Leafs selecting 25th overall at this point in time, there is a realistic possibility that he could slip a few spots to them. We've seen it before, and we'll see it again.
Mesar's foot speed and stickhandling give him the ability to drive back defenders and keep them guessing. His transition game is very good and while he does play wing, he also has the ability to play center. His shot selection may need some work, but his shot itself is NHL caliber.
Mesar fits the mold of what Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has looked for in the past. At 5'10. 167 lbs, he is built not unlike Leafs winger Mitch Marner, and carries a lot of the same traits. His ceiling is certainly not as high, but his floor is reasonably high enough to assume he'll be a contributor at the NHL level. Like Marner, Mesar enjoys carrying the puck and creating plays. However, also like Marner, Mesar has a tendency to try to do too much, so that will need to be cleaned up.
| POLL | ||
4 JUIN | 146 ANSWERS Slovak prospect confirms that he met with the Leafs at the NHL's Draft Combine this week Will Mesar fall to the Leafs at 25th overall? | ||
| Yes, but they won't take him | 52 | 35.6 % |
| No, he'll go in the top 15 | 38 | 26 % |
| No, but the Leafs will move up to get him | 25 | 17.1 % |
| Show me the results | 31 | 21.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
