[Sandman]

C/LW Mason McTavish,6'2"207lbs (Peterborough, OHL): With the OHL shutdown, McT went overseas to play for EHC Olten in Switzerland's second tier pro-league, and aquitted himself quite well, with 9g/2a/11pts in 13 games. Even more impressive was his contribution to their playoff run, with 7pts in 4 games-5th on the team despite only playing 4 of 10 games. In 2019-20, he had 29g/13a/42pts in 57 games for OHL's Peterborough Petes. I became a believer after watching him Captain Team Canada to gold at the U-18s-he showed more than just size and a good shot, he showed off his skill, skating, leadership, and desire. He achieved 11pts in 7 games, 3rd on the team, and tied for fifth in the tourney, among some very good talent.

You know when a shot misses the net, hits the glass and makes that loud, scary, hollow noise that tells you how hard, fast and heavy it was? That was my first experience with McT. His array of shots are sick-bomb of a wrister, ridiculous slapper, or hard, heavy one-timer. He even has a freakish backhander. He has the sneaky ability to always get in position in high-danger areas, and has silky smooth hands for tips and rebounds. His huge frame is great for standing in front of the net and screening the goalie. Battles for pucks all over the ice, and isn't afraid of the dirty areas-why would be be? He's built for it. He can routinely bowl other players over, and doesn't need to build up speed to do it. Very solid and strong, leans into defenders, attacks the net, and makes things happen every shift, regardless of if he scores or not. He looks like a Grizzly Bear on skates, and has the strength and aggressiveness to match. He's strong on the puck, and plays a heavy game with bite in all 3 zones. Aside from his size and shot, McTavish is also skilled and intelligent. His fantastic playmaking ability and vision was on display in the U-18s, and that hockey sense makes him useful in all situations. He's a great passer, and can thread the needle through traffic, and tight spaces. Also exhibits good stickhandling skills. He's the complete package offensively.

McTavish demonstrates skill in transition, using his powerful stride and quick stick to push play-when a turnover occurs, he can start the play back up the ice with his feet or hands. He's a great leader, as he showed in the tourney-he was always talking on the ice, and on the bench. In the defensive zone, he supports the troops down low, and forces the opposition to the outside-closes down lanes, and blocks shots. He killed penalties in Switzerland, and shows a real knack for winning faceoffs. He skates well for a guy his size-it's considered a strength. It looks lumbering and choppy, but he can generate surprising power from his stride. Still needs work though-he seems to move ok at top speed, but needs more explosiveness, and better acceleration. Much of this will be improved as he gets stronger, as the consensus is that he's not NHL-ready, and still needs time to develop. Defensively, there's room to grow-he sometimes gets a little lost, and floats a bit. The effort in the D zone, compared to that in the O zone is unbalanced. McTavish is projected as a top-6 forward-I think he's a pretty safe pick.