Mason McTavish
Birth dateJanuary 30, 2003 (age 23)
Birth placeZürich, Switzerland
Height6 ft
Height in1
Weight lb219
PositionCentre
ShootsLeft
LeagueNHL
TeamAnaheim Ducks
Ntl teamCanada
Draft (2021)3rd overall
Draft teamAnaheim Ducks
Career start2020

Mason Dale McTavish[1] (born January 30, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). McTavish was selected third overall by the Ducks in the 2021 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut with the Ducks in 2021. Internationally McTavish played for the Canada national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

McTavish played minor ice hockey for the Pembroke Lumber Kings, where he was coached by his father, Dale McTavish, who also owned the team. He was selected fifth overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection by the Peterborough Petes, the same junior team his father played for.[2] In the 2019–20 season, he finished second among under-17 players in goals before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down. The following season, with the 2020–21 OHL season suspended due to the pandemic, McTavish returned to Switzerland, though he was unable to get a work visa until he turned 18 years old, eventually joining the Swiss League's EHC Olten on January 29, 2021,[3] where he would play 13 games before returning home to play in the 2021 World U18 Championships, where he served as captain and scored 11 points in seven games as Canada won the gold medal.[4][5]

McTavish was selected third overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL entry draft.[6] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on August 13, 2021.[7] He was initially scheduled to not play in the team's opening day game against the Winnipeg Jets on October 13, but was added to the lineup just hours before the contest.[8] In his NHL debut, McTavish scored his first career goal and recorded an assist in a 4–1 win. At 18 years, 256 days old, he surpassed Oleg Tverdovsky as the youngest Ducks player to score a goal.[9] McTavish skated in three games before a lower-body injury forced him out of the lineup. He was assigned to the Ducks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, on a conditioning loan on October 28.[10] He recorded two points in three games for the Gulls while with the club. McTavish finished with two goals and one assist in nine games overall for the Ducks before being reassigned to the Petes on November 20. With not having exceeded the nine-game mark, the Ducks did not burn a year off of McTavish's entry-level contract.[11] McTavish appeared in five games with the Petes, posting six goals and seven points before he was traded to contending club, the Hamilton Bulldogs, in exchange for two prospects and six draft selections on January 9, 2022.[12]

On September 27, 2025, McTavish, a restricted free agent,[13] signed a six-year contract with the Ducks.[14]

International play

McTavish made his international debut with Canada under-18 team at the 2021 World U18 Championships. He tallied five goals and six assists in seven games, while Canada won the gold medal. Later in the year he was invited to join the roster for the Canada junior team in advance of the 2022 World Junior Championships.[15] However, the tournament was cancelled after Canada had played two games, as a result of the spread of the Omicron variant.[16] Shortly afterward, McTavish was selected to play for Canada senior team at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but the NHL have declined to allow its players to take part.[17][18][19] He was part of the team's first line alongside veteran Eric Staal and Josh Ho-Sang, but the Canadian team struggled in the tournament and was eliminated in quarterfinals.[20] When the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) revived the cancelled 2022 World Junior Championships in August 2022, McTavish was again on the roster, and this time was named captain of the team in the absence of Kaiden Guhle.[21] In an August 11 group stage game against Slovakia junior team, McTavish scored four goals as part of an 11–1 victory, tying a record for most goals scored by a Canadian player in a single World Junior Championships game.[22] Canada advanced to the gold medal game against Finland junior team, where McTavish had his most significant moment of the tournament in overtime, using his stick to knock Finnish defenceman Topi Niemelä's potential game-winning shot out of midair onto the goal line, preventing a loss. Dubbed "the McTavish Miracle,"[23] it was considered an exceptionally skilled defensive play, and facilitated Canada's victory minutes later.[24][25] McTavish was named the tournament MVP and one of Canada's three best players.[26]

Personal life

McTavish was born in Switzerland while his father, Dale, was playing for SC Rapperswil-Jona. He first began playing ice hockey in Zug before the family returned to Canada when Mason was eight years old following Dale's retirement. The family settled in Carp, Ontario. He has one older brother, Darian.[5] His father is currently a scout in the Ottawa Senators organization.[27]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2018–19Pembroke Lumber KingsCCHL53476—————
2019–20Peterborough PetesOHL5729134231—————
2020–21EHC OltenSL1392116—————
2021–22Anaheim DucksNHL92132—————
2021–22San Diego GullsAHL31124—————
2021–22Peterborough PetesOHL561711—————
2021–22Hamilton BulldogsOHL24142640201916132926
2022–23Anaheim DucksNHL8017264344—————
2023–24Anaheim DucksNHL6419234286—————
2024–25Anaheim DucksNHL7622305238—————
2025–26Anaheim DucksNHL7517244142101562
NHL totals30477104181212101562

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2020Canada WhiteU17N/A62138
2021CanadaU187561110
2022CanadaOG6th50112
2022CanadaWJC789172
Junior totals2015163120
Senior totals50112

Awards and honours

AwardYearRef
OHL
OHL Second All-Rookie Team2020[28]
International
World U18 Championship – top 3 player on team2021
World Junior Championships – tournament MVP2022[29]

References

  1. ^ Anaheim Ducks (November 5, 2025). "How would you react if someone called you by your full government name?". Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  2. ^ "Like Father, Like Son: Dale and Mason McTavish – Peterborough Petes". Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Mason McTavish zum EHCO" (in de-CH). ehco.ch. January 29, 2021. Archived March 4, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "NHL Draft profile: Mason McTavish". NHL.com. July 13, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Wheeler, Scott (July 23, 2021). "From Switzerland and back: The unique hockey story of Ducks' 2021 NHL Draft pick Mason McTavish". The Athletic. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ducks Nab McTavish with Third Overall Pick of NHL Draft". Anaheim Ducks. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "McTavish, No. 3 pick in 2021 Draft, signs entry-level contract with Ducks". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "McTavish, 18, scores in NHL debut as Ducks beat Jets 4-1". ESPN.com. October 13, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2025. McTavish was told during the morning skate that he would not be suiting up. But those plans changed 3 hours before faceoff when coach Dallas Eakins called him quickly back to Honda Center after Max Jones couldn't go due to illness.
  9. ^ Reedy, Joe (October 14, 2021). "McTavish, 18, scores in NHL debut as Ducks beat Jets 4-1". CTV News Winnipeg. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ducks Assign Carrick, McTavish to San Diego". Anaheim Ducks. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Ducks Assign McTavish to OHL Peterborough". Anaheim Ducks. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bulldogs acquire Mason McTavish from Petes". Hamilton Bulldogs. January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "McTavish signs 6-year contract with Ducks". NHL.com. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  14. ^ "Ducks Sign McTavish to Six-Year Contract". NHL.com. September 27, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  15. ^ Davis, Greg (1 December 2021). "Mason McTavish invited to Team Canada world junior selection camp". Global News. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  16. ^ "IIHF cancels remainder of 2022 world juniors due to COVID-19". Sportsnet. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Canada unveils non-NHL Olympic hockey roster with pro experience, young talent". www.cbc.ca/. CBC Sports. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ Nichols, Paula (25 January 2022). "Team Canada's 25-player men's hockey roster nominated for Beijing 2022". www.olympic.ca/. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  19. ^ Stephens, Mike (25 January 2022). "Canada Names Men's 2022 Olympic Hockey Roster". The Hockey News. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  20. ^ Longley, Rob (17 February 2022). "Here's what went wrong for Team Canada in Olympic men's hockey". National Post. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  21. ^ Beneteau, Josh (2 August 2022). "Mason McTavish to be Canada's captain at rescheduled World Juniors". Sportsnet. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  22. ^ Dixon, Ryan (11 August 2022). "In game defined by McTavish's stellar performance Canada puts forth more cohesive effort". Sportsnet. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  23. ^ Gould, Mike (August 21, 2022). "World Juniors Medal Round Recap: The McTavish Miracle seals gold for Canada". DailyFaceoff.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  24. ^ McGran, Kevin (August 21, 2022). "'Best I've ever seen.' The save of the year in Canadian hockey wasn't made by a goalie". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Sandor, Steven (August 20, 2022). "Canada defeats Finland in OT thriller for gold at world juniors in Edmonton". CBC Sports. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  26. ^ Ellis, Steven (August 21, 2022). "World Junior Championships: Top 20 players from the 2022 summer tournament". The Hockey News. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  27. ^ "Hockey Operations". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved February 20, 2024. – via nhl.com.
  28. ^ "Petes' McTavish first OHL name off the board at 2021 NHL Draft". Ontariohockeyleague.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  29. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (August 21, 2022). "McTavish named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022.