Here is what you need to know about Timo Meier, the top ranked North American skater from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Age on June 26: 18
Birthplace: Herisau, Switzerland
Current team: Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 209 pounds
Twitter account: @MeierTimo
NHL Central Scouting rank (North America): 10th
Marek’s Take: Scouts love his size, strength and ability to keep up and produce playing with the fastest player in the CHL – Nikolaj Ehlers. A steady scorer all season long for the Halifax Mooseheads. Great stick, can make plays and does have some edge to him. Some concerns about his quickness. Comparable: Johan Franzen
Breakout year
What a year it’s been for Meier. After scoring 34 points in 66 games last season, he tore up the QMJHL in 2014-15 with 44 goals and 90 points in five fewer games. He led the Mooseheads in goals and was second to 2014 ninth overall pick Nikolaj Ehlers in points. Meier also set a franchise record with 23 power play goals.
“I worked hard this summer and knew what to expect; I saw how (Ehlers) played and how he went up the ranks and how the game is here, and that helped me,” Meier told NHL.com. “(Dominique Ducharme) told me you have to get faster and stronger over the summer and I worked on that. We have a young team, but I’m getting more minutes and was prepared for that.”
Meier is also clutch. During the regular season this year, he had 10 game-winning goals, which ranked second in the Canadian Hockey League. Meier kept the trend going in the playoffs by scoring three more winners in 14 games. He finished the post-season with 21 points.
Meier had the second longest point streak in the CHL this season, spanning from Nov. 22 to Feb. 26. Over that period, he found the back of the net 28 times and added 23 assists for 51 points.
“He’s not hard to play with and he’s playing more of a North American style than last year, but realizing the game he needs to be playing to become a pro,” Ducharme told NHL.com. “He simplified his game and has good hands and vision for a big guy.”
Impressive linemates
Meier’s excellence on the ice earned him top-line honours for much of the season, and not just with the Mooseheads. While playing with Switzerland at the World Junior Hockey Championship, Meier played alongside Nashville Predators 2014 first-round pick Kevin Fiala. Although the Swiss struggled at the tournament, Meier chipped in with two goals and four assists in six games.
With Halifax, he played on a line with Ehlers, who also received a lot of hype leading up to his NHL Draft a year ago. Ehlers led the Mooseheads this year with 101 points.
“Fiala and Ehlers are two great players. They both have really good skill and are really fast,” Meier told NHL.com. “Watching them on the ice taught me how to be a professional; I look up to them, especially those skills that they have on the ice.”
Speaking of playing with top prospects, Meier partnered with projected first-overall pick Connor McDavid at the CHL Top Prospects game in January. McDavid, Meier and Travis Konecny combined for seven points in the 6-0 win for Team Orr over Team Cherry with Meier picking up a goal and two assists.
“He’s a solid and strong skater both with and without the puck, has high-end hockey sense and reads the play very well,” Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr told NHL.com. “He competes and works smart on plays and is very effective in 1-on-1 situations.”
Fun Facts
• He is fluent in three languages: English, French and German
• He compares his style of play to Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.
• He received the Michael Bossy Trophy from the QMJHL for best professional prospect.
• His favourite movie is The Wolf of Wall Street.
