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

The Vancouver Canucks will have some tough decisions to make leading up to the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

The team achieved a moral victory at the draft lottery on Wednesday night, staying put at the ninth overall pick. However, despite the expected incoming crop of talented young players, the Canucks will still need to do their research in order to select the best player for the long-term future and success of this franchise.

Yesterday, The Canuck Way kicked off its coverage of potential first round prospects for the team, starting with right winger Fabian Lysell. Today, we’ll be putting Mason McTavish under the microscope to see if he could be a fit with the Canucks moving forward.

Who is Mason McTavish?

McTavish was born in Zurich, Switzerland on January 30, 2003, but he is actually Canadian, having been raised in Pembroke, Ontario. His father, Dale, a former Calgary Flame, was playing in Switzerland at the time of his birth.

According to EliteProspects, McTavish clocks in at 6’2″ and 207 pounds, and shoots left. He traditionally plays centre, but can also move to the left wing if needed. In the 2019-20 season, he scored 29 goals and 42 points in 57 games with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL before the season shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past year, he was loaned to EHC Olten of the Swiss league, making it full circle for the Swiss-born player. There, he had nine goals and 11 points in 13 games. McTavish also played at the World Under-18 tournament this past May. He had a good showing on the international stage, recording five goals and 11 points in seven games, en route to Canada winning gold.

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.”