Until the very beginning of this season, there were genuine questions about what the Canadiens saw in Filip Mesar to select him in the first round, 26th overall in 2022.
Some even speculated that it was to have a fellow Slovak compatriot with Juraj Slafkovsky, which didn't seem very serious. Especially when considering that a player like Jiri Kulich was chosen 28th overall, it shocked many.
Nevertheless, patience is key with young players. They don't all progress at the same rate, and Mesar is proof of that. The forward is tearing it up in the OHL currently, having just been named the player of the month with a haul of 22 points in 13 games.
For comparison, Nick Suzuki achieved 94 points in 59 games in his 19-year-old season. Mesar, with 26 points in 15 games, is on pace for 102 points in 59 games. I'm not saying he'll be better than Suzuki, but it's undeniably encouraging.
