Mason McTavish had a somewhat awkward welcome to professional hockey.
The center, No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2021 NHL Draft, expected to play for Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League this season. But with the OHL delaying and ultimately canceling its season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, he was one of several players who traveled to Europe to find a place to play.
For McTavish, that was Olten in the Swiss League, the second-highest professional league in Switzerland. His father, Dale McTavish, played 10 seasons in the National League, the country's top league.
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Dale McTavish had 474 penalty minutes, including a few fights. One of them was against defenseman Philippe Rytz.
Rytz has been Olten's captain the past two seasons.
"It was kind of cool to meet him," McTavish said. "I wasn't sure if he'd like me or not just because he fought my dad, but that was pretty cool.
"It's just one of those things that's pretty weird, but he was a great guy."
"Great" was a word McTavish used frequently to describe his time overseas, as did three other OHL players in the top 15 in Central Scouting's final ranking who crossed the Atlantic to find a team: Barrie defenseman Brandt Clarke (No. 7), Flint left wing Brennan Othmann (No. 8) and Kitchener center Francesco Pinelli (No. 15).
"They went over there by themselves, had to adapt and learn a new kind of hockey language and be in a different country," Central Scouting's Joey Tenute said. "They all adapted very well, they all really found a big role on each of their teams and that's impressive for players of their age to go over there and so quickly adapt. It shows me that they're all very high-end players."
Switzerland was an easy choice for McTavish (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) when he was looking for a team. He was born in Zurich and lived in the country until he was 10, when his family moved back to Canada.
He arrived in February, after he turned 18 and got his working visa, and scored 11 points (nine goals, two assists) in 13 regular-season games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in four playoff games.
"In a pro league he stepped in and got better every game," Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "It got to be near the end of his play there that every time he was on the ice he was controlling play and making things happen."
Off the ice, McTavish was helped by having Othmann as a teammate.
"He helped me get integrated faster with the team," McTavish said. "We're both younger guys going to a new country and we don't know anybody on the team. The players were obviously super-great and super-welcoming, but definitely made it a lot easier having him there."
Othmann (6-0, 175) also had some background in Switzerland; his father, Gery Othmann, and his uncle, Robert Othmann, each played professionally in the country. Robert Othmann played five seasons with Olten and still lives in Switzerland.
Brennan Othmann joined Olten in November, and scored 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 34 games. The 18-year-old also credited Rytz for helping him adjust.
"The really big thing that helped me out playing in Switzerland was my physical game," Othmann said. "Rytz**
