NHL Draft-eligibles Mews, Marrelli riding the wave of hype with 67’s
The NHL Entry Draft generates an incredible amount of hype surrounding kids hardly old enough to vote, with their every move being watched and analyzed by scouts.
With their 18th birthdays in the rearview, Ottawa 67’s defencemen Henry Mews and Frankie Marrelli are barreling toward the OHL postseason with visions of capturing the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and improving their draft stock.
“We don’t want to have any regrets here,” Mews said. “We’re going into the playoffs, and we’re going to give it our all. We’ll take it one game at a time. We have the group to do it, even if the standings don’t show it, that doesn’t mean anything to us.”
Throughout the campaign, scouts have flocked to The Arena at TD Place to see both Mews and Marrelli, including The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. When scouting, goals, points, and other statistics aren’t as important as intangibles, but there has been an observable change to what teams covet in the past handful of years.
“[They are looking at] the way they think through decisions on the ice, their reads, and the way they process and problem solve on the ice,” Wheeler said. “Increasingly, that is what virtually every player in the NHL has as a major strength in their game. You still look for skating, size, and length, those classic traits, but it’s between the ears more than ever.”
In his March rankings, Wheeler ranked Mews 22nd thanks largely to his “NHL skill, and NHL shot,” but acknowledged the varied view on the Ottawa native among scouts.
“Henry is a player that I had a lot of time for coming into this season,” Wheeler said. “He had what I would call a really strong season in the OHL a year ago. This year has been more of an up-and-down campaign for him. I thought he struggled out of the gate, but I’ve found that in the second half of the year, he’s started to make better decisions, and developed a little more maturity.”
“He’s got the natural tools. He’s got the talent, he can handle the puck, he can jump into plays and make things happen offensively, and he’s a competitive kid who defends hard.”
Mews is the first to admit the start of his season was below his expectations, but he didn’t dwell on it. Rather, he flipped it on its head, working diligently to scratch his way back to where he wanted to be, and up the rankings.
In the second half of the season, Mews was happy with the way he’s turned things around after pulling himself within four points of being a point-per-game player. Offensively, the numbers have been there, but it’s in his defensive zone that he has taken the biggest step, becoming a more reliable defender by being receptive to coaching.
“To play at the next level, you have to be able to do everything,” Mews said. “I’m fortunate that here in Ottawa, I’m able to learn that over the next few years. It’s a work in progress, but Dave tells me all the time that my offence is there, and I have to work on my overall game.”
According to Wheeler, the playoffs are an important time for scouts, who use the do-or-die nature of games to evaluate players in a different light. Having followed Mews since arriving in the OHL, he believes it’s an opportunity he should thrive in.
“I think we’re going to see him step up in the playoffs,” Wheeler said. “His play internationally and the fact he has worn a letter for them are positives. They suggest that in the big moments, he is capable of tightening up. Scouts really care about that.”
Coming in at number 100 in the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings, Marrelli has drawn attention in a different way than Mews. Although he took a step forward offensively compared to his rookie season, it’s his own end of the rink that’s a priority for the native of Markham, Ontario.
“He has been very consistent in terms of his ability to defend,” Wheeler said. “He can be very effective out there, he’s the same player most nights. There aren’t the highs and lows in his game, and teams still covet that.”
Following up on an impressive rookie season, both have experienced a tougher reality this season, being asked to do more, and play against the opposition’s top players on a nightly basis. At times, that has resulted in success, and others a goal against, but it has served as a learning experience, even in the worst of times.
“You want to play against the best players,” Marrelli said. “We’re both good defencemen, and we want to compete against the top guys. Dave [Cameron] playing us against top forwards shows how much he trusts us, and believes we’re good enough.”
“You learn from your mistakes and failures. It hasn’t been all good for the entire season, but that helps us evolve and excel. When we aren’t playing our best, we know what we have to do, and we can refocus and play our game. We have both grown our game by following what Dave says.”
In their rookie season, Mews and Marrelli often paired together to form one of the Barber Poles’ defensive units, however, this year, they have been separated for large periods of time. The Frank and Hank duo was a strength for both, not only for understanding each other on the ice, but for their genuine friendship and bond away from the rink.
Still, the pair of buddies spend their time together, and push one another to continue progressing through friendly competition.
“Not playing together is tough, but we have a lot of good pairings,” Marrelli said. “We can help one another out in other ways, whether it’s taps on the bench or working together in practice, but we still click on and off the ice.”
The year has been a mental challenge for both of the young defencemen, simultaneously focusing on the day-to-day life with the 67’s, and putting themselves in the best position possible for the draft.
Mews says at times, it has been overwhelming. Between the constant flow of interviews and questionnaires to fill out, he’s learned how to manage the pressure. Though difficult, he says the process has been fun, and he’s trying to enjoy it to the fullest, knowing you only experience your draft year once.
Regardless of what happens in Vegas in June, it’s only the start of the next process.
“There is always another goal, whether it’s earning an entry-level contract, playing for Canada at the World Juniors, or getting into an AHL game,” Wheeler said. “In both cases, there’s going to be potentially two more years to take advantage of playing for the Ottawa 67’s, and become another one of those success stories.”