Geoff Patterson, Contributor
A local product with deep Ottawa Valley roots has made a remarkable impression lately in the hockey world and, as a result of his recent play, is now on the radar as one of the top 18 year old players in the world. Mason McTavish currently lists Carp, Ontario as his home base but the surname McTavish has been instantly recognizable and synonymous with hockey success in the Ottawa Valley for decades.
In a hockey season unlike any other, local prospect Mason McTavish has logged his share of kilometres to play the game he loves. While the pandemic interfered with his opportunity to play Major Junior, he took advantage of his dual citizenship and was able to continue with his career development path in his birth country of Switzerland. McTavish had been carefully weighing his options for months, when the highly-touted rookie of the OHL’ s Peterborough Petes last year, decided at the end of January that playing in Europe was the best route for him to take this year.
In the fall of 2020, McTavish was religiously working out, focusing all his efforts on the off-ice conditioning. By 2021, it felt like forever since he had been immersed in game conditions and the OHL continued to hold the pause button on its hockey season. McTavish was fortunate to have a fallback plan, which included having the ability to play pro-hockey in Switzerland, which coincidentally was his birthplace. It also helped that his father Dale, an Eganville native, had a successful career playing pro-hockey for seventeen seasons, many of which were in Switzerland. Mason headed overseas to continue his hockey journey. Gentlemen: start your odometers!
McTavish made the deal to play with Olten Hockey Club of the Swiss League and upon arriving at the end of January he was put right to work practising with the team on the day he arrived. Prior to his departure from Canada, the young sniper felt transition wouldn’t be so difficult. “Brennan Othmann (Flint, OHL) is playing there too, is a good friend and he was a previous teammate with Team Ontario” and added “I’m so lucky to have my aunt there picking me up at the airport!” It has been smooth sailing indeed, for the ex-Pembroke Lumber King, as he produced consistent offensive numbers since arriving in Europe to play for Olten.
Having already played in a number of Hockey Canada international events, McTavish was not intimidated by having to adjust to larger ice surfaces overseas. Family friend Shawn Heins, himself a seventeen-year-plus pro and Eganville native, has helped Mason prepare for the adjustment of playing against men with more speed and physicality. “Acceleration and skating speed will be areas of my game to develop in Switzerland,” McTavish said. “The extra size to the rinks should give me a fraction of a second more time and space.” He fondly speaks of the mountainous scenery in Switzerland. “It’s such a pretty country!” he said.
McTavish has always had success adjusting. From AAA to Junior A within the Lumber Kings’ organization, and at only 15 years of age, he often dominated play and continued to easily score at over a point per game. When he was drafted to Peterborough the following year, he was just one shy of ripping thirty goals as the much-heralded rookie and was being considered for top rookie in Canada, when the OHL shut down. Overseas, after scoring nine goals in his first thirteen professional games in Europe, he put the hockey world on notice that he was the real deal.
In April, Mason’s noteworthy whirlwind World tour recently shifted the stage to the Plano, Texas area, where he was selected to take part in the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championships for Team Canada. Most of us know how that turned out as McTavish deservedly, along with his teammates, were adorned with gold medals. Interestingly, he and his buddy Othmann, along with young phenoms Connor Bedard and Shane Wright undisputedly led team Canada to their championship, going undefeated in the tourney.
As a result of his strong play in Texas against the best players in the world, the McTavish name is now a regular mention on TSN, Sportsnet, and Sirius NHL network. He has also stirred up accolades from the best authorities in media who keep pushing his ranking up the ladder as we approach the NHL draft. Finishing among the top five scorers in the tourney was one thing, but playing a complete 200 foot game, displaying a dazzling hockey IQ, showing some nasty at times and being a very coachable and reliable teammate has NHL scouts foaming at the mouth right now for this kid.
Astoundingly enough, in a hockey season like no other, it could be the second year running that an Ottawa Valley product is selected in the top ten picks of the NHL’S entry draft. No matter what the result, there’s an outpouring of support coming from Mason’s friends, family and ex-teammates. Parents Dale and Christine are thrilled about their son’s success and loved watching the outstanding calibre of play during the World Championships. Brother Darian, himself a former Lumber King goaler, and current professional athlete, is very proud of his younger sibling’s accomplishments, as are the grandparents who keep a keen eye on their talented grandson.
Yes, it has been an unusual year in hockey, but if Mason McTavish is able to keep moving forward at his current pace, he may just be able to move some pretty mountains of his own during his hockey journey!
