Canucks: Should they pick Mason McTavish with the ninth overall pick?

Where do the experts rank him?

#2 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters

#5 by EliteProspects

#11 by TSN’s Bob Mckenzie

#29 by DobberProspects

#32 by SmahtScouting

#32 by TheHockeyWriter’s Matthew Zator

What are the experts saying?

First, we look into what Tony Ferrari of Dobber Prospects had to say on what he thought of McTavish’s gameplay.

“Mason McTavish has the size, skill, and shooting ability that will have teams drooling at the thought of drafting him. He is a stalky 6’1″ and 196lbs and he has some smooth hands around the net. McTavish shows the ability to battle for pucks along the boards and work them to his teammates when he chooses to and his ability to create a screen at the net-front is quite good. All this goes without saying, he is at his best when he is able to set up shop at the faceoff circle and use his impressive shot. Be it a booming one-timer or ridiculous snap shot, McTavish can score from all over the offensive zone. He possesses the ability to go invisible, in a good way, disappearing from defenders before seemingly appearing in space with a good chance to score. He doesn’t always create his own shots but paired with a good playmaker, McTavish should be a legitimate scoring threat at the NHL level. He will need to improve his skating a bit as he can be a bit lumbering on his feet at times. When he digs in, he can generate some solid power and get up to pretty good speeds but the willingness to move his feet isn’t consistent. This also hampers him in his own end. His strength and ability to lean on a player is valuable and he should continue to do more of that as he develops but defensive effort is fairly broad concern among most prospects at this age. The Zürich-born Canadian is currently playing in Switzerland with EHC Olten of the Swiss League (Swiss men’s second-level), the same team that fellow 2021 NHL Draft prospect Brennan Othamnn is playing for. Only six games in, McTavish has two points, a goal and an assist. With the OHL season looking like it will start up in April, McTavish likely has a month left in Switzerland to get into midseason form so that he can try and dominate the OHL and boost his draft stock.”

Another take would be from Frankie Benuventi of The Hockey Writers, who looked deeper into what McTavish brings to the ice.

“Much like Quinton Byfield, McTavish has the size and the skill that NHL teams are looking for. Despite his size, he isn’t quite ready physically to jump right into the NHL next season, something that is pretty easy to tell when you watch him play against the second-tier talent in the Swiss League. That being said, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He does all of the little things in the offensive end that you want him to do. He battles for loose pucks, he gets to the front of the net, and he makes things happen. That is fantastic on its own, but what if I told you there was more? McTavish is not just big, he’s also supremely talented. For a big player, he can skate, making him all the more dangerous. Add that to his good passing, shooting, hands and intelligence and you have a player that is the complete package offensively. Of course, there are some things that aren’t as great as they could be, but for the most part, they can be ironed out with time. Defensively, McTavish seems to struggle at times and has a bit of a tendency to float around. He could also stand to benefit from putting just a little bit more effort into the backcheck sometimes, but this is something that I find comes and goes. EHC Olten has had him both killing penalties and on the power play too, so there is certainly many roles he can fill.”

McTavish is a pure goal scorer. He has an accurate wrist shot and a strong one-timer, and makes it his mission to find space to let both of those rip as often as he can.  He also likes to screen the goalie and use his stick for deflections.

Here is a look at his shot.

McTavish is also an excellent playmaker that has good vision and can make passes through tight spaces. He is great on the cycle, the forecheck and the board battles.

According to most scouts, McTavish could improve defensively overall, and also needs to work on his skating abilities. While he does often demonstrate having a good stride on the ice, it seems like he doesn’t put it to use on the backcheck, and he can often be caught asleep in the defensive zone.

The Canucks could use McTavish’s size and strength, especially up the middle. Granted he continues to develop properly for the next for year, he definitely has the potential to be a good two-way centre, one that could play on the third line behind Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat.

In other words, if McTavish is available at the ninth overall spot, the Canucks should at least consider him.

Here are some more McTavish highlights you can check out.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Should the team draft McTavish if available? Let us know in the comments!