Ottawa 67's Henry Mews drafted 74th overall

The Calgary Flames snag a dynamic offensive defenseman in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Calgary Flames drafted Ottawa 67’s defenseman Henry Mews 74^th overall in the third round of the 2024 NHL draft.

“It’s a great city with a great fanbase,” said Mews. “I am very excited to have the opportunity.”

Mews joins Zayne Parekh as the second offensive defenseman taken by Calgary in the draft. The young defender is well known for his offensive flair. Many believe he has the potential to become an elite offensive defender at the next level.

Mews led the 67’s defenders in points scoring 15 goals and 46 assists for 61 points in 65 games played. His strong performance this season resulted in Mews finishing seventh amongst OHL defensemen.

The 2006-born defender has good skating skills and makes excellent first passes that help his team exit their own end. He is very deceptive in the offensive zone, often using his shot and his teammates to confuse defenders.

Though scouts were undoubtedly attracted to his offense, he is an underrated defender according to former 67’s assistant coach Martin Dagenais.

At 6’ 1 Mews is not a small player, though he definitely still has room to grow. He plays a surprisingly physical game, and it wouldn’t be inappropriate to say he has a chippy streak.

Mews slid slightly in the draft. Most pre-draft ranking had Mews going somewhere in the second round. Arguably, Calgary taking Mews in the third represents a great value pick.

When paired with Zayne Parekh, Calgary comes away from the draft with two elite offensive defensemen who may become impact players in the future.

"It's obviously unbelievable. We are great buddies on and off the ice," said Mews when asked about he and Parekh both being drafted by Calgary. "It's going to be great to learn from him and be able to go to development camp together ... obviously he's a great player. It's going to be fun." 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZfY0bE9zLg[/embed]

Mews and Parekh won gold together for Canada at the 2023 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. Interestingly, Mews outscored Sam Dickinson and Parekh in that tournament. He recorded one goal and six assists for seven points in five games. Both Parekh and Dickinson had three points in that tournament. 

Thus far in his international career, Mews has always found success. After winning the Hlinka-Gretzky he went on to win gold this summer with the U-18 World Junior Championship. 

The dynamic young player scored two goals and five assist for a total of seven points in seven games. He was the top-scoring defenseman for team Canada at the tournament. 

The experience at those international tournaments, and the winning pedigree are undoubtedly things that Calgary Flames fans love seeing in their third-round pick. 

While his potential is there to see, it's an open question whether Mews will be able to reach it. It seems likely that he will return to Ottawa next year to continue his development with the 67's.