| Filip Mešár | |
| Birth Date: | 3 January 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Spišská Belá, Slovakia |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 184 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Shoots: | Right |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Prospect Team: | Laval Rocket |
| Prospect League: | AHL |
| Former Teams: | HK Poprad |
| Draft: | 26th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2022 |
| Draft Team: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Career Start: | 2020 |
Filip Mešár (born 3 January 2004) is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL entry draft.
Mešár began his professional career with HK Poprad, competing first with the under-16 and under-18 teams. He moved up to the senior team in the Slovak Extraliga for the 2020–21 season. He was only 16 when he entered the adult league, noting later that some of his teammates had children his own age, and attracted media attention when he scored a goal on his first shift. He played 36 games in the regular season, and then participated in the team's deep run to the playoff finals, where they were defeated by HKM Zvolen.
Mešár submitted his name for the 2021 CHL Import Draft and was selected ninth overall by the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[1] However, he opted to remain in Slovakia for the following season, saying that he was "satisfied with the management of the club and the conditions I have here for my further advancement."[2] Mešár would record eight goals and eight assists in 37 games played, and likewise manage three goals and an assist in six playoff games, before Poprad was eliminated by HK Nitra in the first round.[3]
Before the 2022 NHL entry draft, Mešár was rated as a possible selection late in the first round or early in the second round.[4] [5] [6] [7] On 7 July 2022, the Montreal Canadiens selected Mešár 26thoverall (using a pick acquired in trade from the Calgary Flames for Tyler Toffoli).[8] [9] The Canadiens had also selected his longtime friend and national teammate Juraj Slafkovský first overall, to both men's satisfaction.[10] The draft was a "historic" night for Slovak ice hockey, with Slafkovský and Šimon Nemec occupying the top two spots, and Mešár giving the country three first round selections for the first time.[11] [12] [13]
On 14 July, Mešár signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[14] General manager Kent Hughes suggested that Mešár's next step was undecided, but that he would likely play either in the OHL with the Rangers or in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Canadiens' affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[15]
After participating in the Canadiens' preseason camp, Mešár was reassigned to the Rocket's training camp. He made his AHL debut on 14 October 2022, playing on the fourth line in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Belleville Senators. The following day, it was announced that he was loaned to the Rangers.[16] While Mešár had hoped to play with the Rocket for the rest of the season, the Canadiens' development staff believed he would benefit more from playing at the top of the lineup in Kitchener. On arrival, he said that "I want to be a leader here. I want to get some points and help the team win."[17] In his debut with the Rangers on 21 October, Mešár scored a goal and registered three assists in a 7–2 victory over the Sudbury Wolves.[18]
In October 2024, Mešár was assigned to Laval to begin the 2024–25 AHL season, his first of professional season in North America.[19] After a strong start to his inaugural campaign with the Rocket, Mešár would suffer a lower-body injury after just five games played, sidelining him for a period of eight to ten weeks as a result.[20]
Mešár made his debut with the under-18 Slovak national team at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, recording two goals and six assists, and winning a silver medal.[1] He was then selected for the under-20 team for the 2022 World Junior Championships, appearing in two games before tournament play was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 2018–19 | HK Poprad | Slovak-Jr. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | HK Poprad | Slovak-Jr. | 33 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Poprad | Slovak | 36 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | HK Poprad | Slovak | 37 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 52 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 45 | 19 | 33 | 52 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 6 | ||
| AHL totals | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Slovak totals | 73 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 12 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Slovakia | HG18 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Slovakia | WJC | 6th | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | ||||