Ottawa 67's defenseman Henry Mews spoke to the media following his fitness testing at the NHL Combine
Ottawa 67's Henry Mews is in Buffalo for the week attending the NHL Draft Combine. The stud defenseman is coming off a terrific season where he won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the IIHF U18 World Championship with Canada.
In 87 games this year, he registered 70 points on the blueline and is slotted to go near the top of the second round.
Mews played his minor league hockey career in the Ottawa area before transferring to the GTHL to play for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Not only did he change the league he played in, but he also moved from playing forward to defense.
"It was a really good learning year for me and I got to play with a lot of good players, Michael Hage (fellow 2024 draft-eligible player) and Porter Martone. I thought it was great for development. It was an honor to play and practice with them. I think our chemistry out there was phenomenal and it was a huge step up for my offense as a defenseman," said Mews on his U16 year.
There aren't many players who can make the shift from forward to defense seem seamless, but that's exactly what the 67's blueliner did.
The Ottawa, Ontario native is a robust puck moving offensive right-shot defenseman who can shift around his opposition due to his high-end agility. He likes to model his game after Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour, and New York Rangers Adam Fox.
He plays with that same shifty east-west skating like Fox and the competitive edge of Montour. The biggest question mark for Mews is if he can defend at the highest level. He's focused on improving that aspect of his game over the next year to prove to NHL teams that he can be a two-way defenseman.
Mews mentioned his favorite hockey memory was growing up and playing hockey with his brothers and dad out in their backyard, which he said they built together one summer.
Mews' teammate Frankie Marrelli is not at the Combine, but the two have a very close relationship. Both players were on those Canadian teams that won gold at the Hlinka and U18s, where they were situated as defense partners.
"I think our chemistry is really high, we've won a few gold medals together this year. We're great friends on and off the ice. I get asked the question a lot 'Who would I bring to an NHL team?' And always say him," said Mews.
He followed up saying it would be very special if he and Marrelli were drafted by the same NHL team.