Pucks of a Feather
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Anaheim Ducks: Reaching for Mason MacTavish is a Good Thing

By Ben Thomasian

SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - JULY 23: With the third pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks select Mason McTavish during the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at the NHL Network studios on July 23, 2021 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - JULY 23: With the third pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks select Mason McTavish during the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at the NHL Network studios on July 23, 2021 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Anaheim Ducks
OSHAWA, ON – JANUARY 31: Mason Mctavish #23 of the Peterborough Petes winds up to take a shot while David Jesus #25 of the Oshawa Generals looks on during an OHL game at the Tribute Communities Centre on January 31, 2020 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) /

Leadership + Grit

A more nuanced discussion, and one which won’t necessarily reflect on the stat sheet every night, is that McTavish is a competitor. He’s a versatile forward in his own right and he uses that versatility to play a role. While that sounds like a ho-hum two-way player, consider that when Shane Wright went down with an injury in the 2021 Under-18s, McTavish stepped in as a driver of that Canadian team and played in key situations. He scored 11-goals in 7-games as he contributed to Canada’s gold medal.

I mentioned Ryan Kesler above, and that will either make Anaheim Ducks fans swoon or shudder depending on their thoughts on him as a player. Who can forget the evergreen “leader grit” that the Ducks love so much, to the detriment of all else?

What there is no doubt about however is that Kesler was an “effort” player. He was always busy and always looking like he was doing something. For much of his Ducks career, he perhaps wasn’t very good at those things, but in his younger days, he was, without doubt, a weapon.

McTavish, perhaps, has a similar aura about him. He will work hard. He will play a physical game. He will put up points. Does he have it in him to become a Selke winner for the Anaheim Ducks? It’s plausible. Selke voters love face-off wins and they like goal scorers. These are two aspects for which McTavish has a natural feel. Nonetheless, McTavish will do the things that it takes to win hockey games. Whether it’s pretty or ugly, the kid has the ability to get it done.

There is an inherent “violence” about the typical McTavish shift, which fans of old-school Ducks hockey will love. If he can find the middle ground between that aggressive play and doing it well enough to draw calls (a la Corey Perry) there is every chance that he’ll be on the positive side of the penalty minute ledger. If he can pull that off, then developing as a point-producing Selke finalist isn’t out of the realms of imagination. At the very least it’s the framework for a nasty to play against, second-line, center.

The Ducks have had some pretty good second-line pivots in the organization over the years, however, they’ve needed to trade to acquire all of them. Saku Koivu. Ryan Kesler. The list is short but distinguished. There’s something really nice about having that 2C already in the hand before the rebuild has really even kicked off in earnest.

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