NHL Draft profile: Mason McTavish

BlueJackets.com is running feature stories profiling the top nine players in our consensus poll for the upcoming NHL Draft, which is scheduled to begin Friday, July 23. Columbus will select fifth overall in the draft with the chance to add a high-level player -- likely from this group -- to the organization.
For Mason McTavish, the trip from Montreal to his native Switzerland this past year took almost 4,000 miles -- and more than two months -- to complete.
The highly thought of prospect in the upcoming NHL draft arrived at the airport in Montreal in November hoping to head to the country in which he was born to play hockey this year amid a global pandemic.

But because he didn't have a work visa, McTavish -- a center who is rated the No. 9 prospect in our draft consensus poll -- was unable to board the flight. And with the Ontario Hockey League in the midst of an indefinite pause because of the pandemic, one that would eventually kill the high-level development league's season, McTavish had nowhere the go.
"It was probably about November, I tried to start getting the process going," said McTavish, who was born in Zurich, Switzerland, while his father, Dale, played hockey in the country. "I was actually in the airport in Montreal in November, but they wouldn't let me into the country since I was only 17 and needed a work visa. They wouldn't let me on the plane, so I had to wait until I was 18 and then I got my work visa, then the next day I flew out."
McTavish finally did turn 18 on Jan. 30 and, as he said, quickly hopped a flight to play for EHC Olten of the Swiss second division. It proved to be a fruitful trip, as McTavish scored nine goals in 13 games and added a pair of assists, then tallied seven points in four playoff games.
Most importantly, it allowed him to get a chance to get some games in during what was a difficult year for prospects around the world, in particular those based in Canada.
"I was super fortunate to be able to play in Olten," McTavish said. "I learned a lot. It's a different country. Obviously I grew around there and moved back to Ottawa when I was around 10, but I really enjoyed my time over there. I learned a lot from the older guys and the coaching staff. I really enjoyed my time in Switzerland."
He could have been talking about his play in the most recent season or when he grew up playing hockey in an apartment courtyard, firing shot after shot into a fireplace-turned-goal as a youngster. But McTavish is just as Canadian as he is Swiss, moving back in 2011 and coming up through the Ottawa junior ranks until the 2019-20 season when he made his debut with Peterborough of the OHL.
Playing on the same team as top Toronto prospect Nicholas Robertson, who tallied 55 goals in 46 games that season, McTavish was no slouch as a goal scorer in his age 16/17 season, scoring 29 times in 57 games and adding 13 assists for 42 points as a rookie.
He's also shown his mettle so far playing for Team Canada, as at the recently concluded Under-18 World Championships, McTavish was named a team captain and finished the tournament with a 5-6-11 line in seven games for the gold medal-winning Canadians.
McTavish himself describes his game as that of a two-way centerman, and his 6-1, 207-pound frame allows him to play a physical game when the need arises. He's so highly thought of that the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau ranked him the No. 2-rated North American skater in its final scouting rankings. It seems likely he'll be a top-10 pick, as his game has impressed observers, drawing comparisons to such names as Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan O'Reilly.
But time will tell where McTavish will end up in the draft. It just likely won't be as long a journey as his trip to Olten.

What they're saying

Draft Prospects Hockey draft guide:
"He protects the puck so well and is dynamic in transition as he has the skill to beat you one on one or pull up and make a play. A pure finisher that has unreal touch in and around the net. His wrist shot is heavy and comes with a goal scorers release, changing angles on his release even at top speed. And the way he separates himself from the defender and retreats to open ice without the puck shows a pure goal scoring instinct. Goes to the net, plants himself in front and becomes hard to move for defenders.
"Defensively he just makes the easy play and does not get himself caught. He has the intelligence to play a 200-foot game and seems to know when the pressure is coming a bit quicker, adjusting accordingly, often driving deep as the low support guy."
HockeyProspect.com Black Book:
"McTavish is one of the most dynamic and versatile power forwards in this class, who blends technical skill with a hard hitting, in your face brand of hockey. There's an argument to be made that he's the most complete power forward available, blending a brick house build with a great set of hands and a lethal shot, who can play a full 200-foot game.
"When looking at Mason's complete game, there are very few players that are a safer bet to play, yet have the ceiling that he projects to have. We believe he could fall into a first line role, that could see him scoring 25+ goals a season. He's competitive, built for playoff hockey and can augment his attack to any situation out on the ice, while remaining a positive sum player."
Chris Peters, Hockey Sense:
"Versatility is such a key in today's game and I think McTavish has proven time-and-time again he's got that. Whether it was against pros in Switzerland, his peers in the World U18s or last season in the OHL, McTavish brings a lot of attractive traits that have allowed him to be an especially productive player."