Filip Mešár is one-third of a Slovak triumvirate alongside Šimon Nemec and Juraj Slafkovsky looking to defy recent history with an early selection at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Each of them placed in the first half of the first round of the first Elite Prospects draft ranking for 2022, so the early returns are promising.

The last Slovak national to walk the stage as a first-round selection in the NHL Entry Draft was the Austrian-born, Slovakian-raised Marko Daňo, who the Columbus Blue Jackets took 27th overall in 2013. He played the part of an NHL journeyman over the course of 141 NHL contests spread over parts of six seasons, before corssing the Atlantic to play in the Czech Extraliga.

That could all change in 2022 when Mešár is likely chosen in the first round in Montreal.