LA Kings Draft: Mason McTavish 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Surging up NHL Draft boards, Mason McTavish could be in play for the LA Kings with a top-ten pick. The Swiss forward was outstanding in the OHL a year ago.

His rankings are all over the place right now, but Mason McTavish could wind up being a top-ten draft pick. With the LA Kings season now completed, they will soon learn their draft slot on June 2. It’s well-documented the Kings are deep up the middle. McTavish as a centerman, on paper, probably isn’t the first choice, but if he’s the best player available on the board when LA is on the clock, that’s a very good problem to have.

McTavish was without a place to play this past season with the OHL season canceled. As a rookie with Peterborough in 19-20, he finished sixth on the team in scoring and was named to the OHL’s Second All-Rookie Team. He recently helped Team Canada win the Gold Medal at the U18s and earned U18 WJC Top 3 Player on the Team honors.

Mason McTavish, C

Vitals

• Age: 18
• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 207 lbs
• Shot: L

Rankings

• Ranked #15 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
• Ranked #7 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
• Ranked #15 by FCHOCKEY
• Ranked #21 by NEUTRAL ZONE
• Ranked #16 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
• Ranked #9 by SPORTSNET’S
• Ranked #17 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
• Ranked #29 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
• Ranked #14 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
• Ranked #32 by SMAHT SCOUTING
• Ranked #17 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY
• Ranked #11 by TSN/McKenzie

Scouting Report

February 2021 – 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. Dobber Prospects/Ferrari

Production

• 19-20: 29G, 13A, 31 PIM, -4 in 57 games for the Peterborough Petes (OHL)
• 20-21: 9G, 2A, 6 PIM, +4 in 13 games loaned to EHC Olten (Swiss League)
• 2021: 5G, 6A, 10 PIM, +10 in 7 games for Team Canada (U18s)