SPOTLIGHT: Filip Mešár
“I’m extremely excited I had the opportunity to come back to Kitchener. We have a really good team this year. The atmosphere at the Aud has been electric on and off the ice, so we want to just keep it going.”
Amidst the promising start to the 2023-24 season, the Kitchener Rangers added more firepower to their offensive prowess in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the OHL. A highly proficient, top-tier prospect, Filip Mešár, was set to make his return to the Rangers. From the first puck drop, it was evident this reunion proved transformative, with his homecoming being viewed as a catalyst for success.
Mešár, a 19-year-old right winger, grew up in Kezmarok, Slovakia, with an immersed love for the sport of soccer before pivoting to the world of hockey. His father was a soccer player and Mešár resonated with the sport due to his family ties, but that quickly changed at the age of six when the opportunity struck to take to the ice for the first time.
“I used to play soccer because my dad was a soccer player. When I was about 6 years old, my friends asked me if I wanted to play hockey so I went for my first practice and really enjoyed it.”
Mešár had played in Slovakia for his entire life, jogging back to minor hockey until the age of 15 when he played his first professional game. Growing up in Slovakia, Mešár has not only been able to see the progression of the sport in the country first-hand, but he has been a primary factor in its advancement through his appearances for the team on the national stage, even being named an assistant captain at last year’s U-20 World Junior Championships. Playing alongside Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec throughout his childhood, the three have had the privilege to embrace their identity through the Slovakian national program from a young age.
For Mešár, he is eager to ignite a passion for hockey in Slovakia and continue to inspire the next wave of Slovakian players. To further assist in the progression, he would be thankful for any opportunity to represent them again on the grand stage of international competition.
“It’s going well right now. In the past few years, we have had numerous players drafted. Hopefully, it continues to progress by getting better and better every year. For me, it would be my fourth year. We are going to have a pretty good team, same as last year, so expectations are high and we have to go out there and prove that we are a good team.”
On July 7th, 2022, it was a special night for Slovakia. Mešár was taken 26th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, only the third player with a Slovakian background to be selected in the first round. Adding to the excitement, Mešár would be pairing up with Juraj Slafkovsky in Montreal in due time, his long-time friend whom the Canadiens selected 1st overall.
In a collective celebration, the result was an extraordinary moment for the duo and the country as a whole. For Mešár, he did not anticipate being drafted by the Canadiens given they had only one meeting leading up to the draft. Despite this, it was an unforgettable moment to be drafted to the NHL’s most profound team. Even though he grew up a fan of Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, his favourite team after the draft has now changed, he joked.
“To be honest, I didn’t think too much about the possibility of being drafted by Montreal. I didn’t expect that. But, I was very excited to be drafted to the same team as my Slovakia buddy Juraj Slafkovský. It was pretty special, I can’t even begin to put it into words. Two Slovakia guys on the same team, same age, like I said, it was so special, it is good to be there with him.”
Since being drafted, Mešár has attended two camps with the Canadiens and had a couple of brief stints with the AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket. These opportunities provided him with the chance to compete with the best-of-the-best and allowed Filip to witness the competitiveness tied to professional hockey. More specifically, the experience provided the shifty winger an opening to work on details within his game such as speed, strength, and his net-front presence.
“I think I had a better camp in my first year than this year, but I really like it there. The competitiveness is unmatched, the guys are buzzing, which makes it extremely difficult to make the team. I’m trying to be better and better every year with the hopes of making it full-time one day.”
48 is back 🤩
The #OHLRangers are pumped to have Filip Mesar back in #RTown! pic.twitter.com/EPQsfkOI3P
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) October 21, 2023
As he continues his ascent in the professional ranks, his return to Kitchener has come at the right time; the team is winning and he is playing exceptionally well. Through 22 games in blue this season, Filip has amounted to 35 points with 15 goals and 20 assists highlighted by his first career OHL hat-trick on November 21st in a win against the Erie Otters. In November alone, Mešár recorded 22 points in 13 games, earning Player of the Month honours in the OHL. Playing on the Rangers’ top line, Mešár quickly surfaced as an elite offensive threat through his creativity, agility, and speed. More recently, the sophomore has seven goals in his last seven games and has made it a goal to remain consistent throughout the entirety of the season. In his freshman campaign, Mešár averaged nearly a point per game but is keen on continuously improving as a player both on and off the scoresheet at a more consistent pace.
“I think last season I had a really good start, same as this year, but I just need to stay consistent and earn points to help our team win. I recognize that I also have to continue to play the right way defensively, so hopefully, I can stay consistent and be a good asset this year.”
For a player of his stature, 5-foot-10, Mešár views himself as a reliable playmaker who can score and is a competitor on both sides of the ice. Being thought of as an agile and highly skilled winger, Mešár looks no further than Mitch Marner or Brayden Point because he is more of a playmaker than a sniper for his size.
Although personal accolades are important to acknowledge, Mešár is focused on keeping his team on the right track while holding himself accountable. In his eyes, the group has a strong foundation laid out through their coaching staff and now it is on the players to execute.