Detroit Red Wings 2021 Draft pick Carter Mazur played just over 10 minutes in his second-career NHL appearance, and he's focused on helping the team move forward toward a playoff spot.
The second NHL game in the career of Detroit Red Wings forward Carter Mazur went better than his first one.
Mazur, who was called up for the first time this season from the Grand Rapids Griffins, appeared in just over 10 minutes of play during Detroit's 5-3 setback against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday evening.
It was far longer than the literal 17 seconds that he played in his NHL debut against the Utah Hockey Club last season, as his season ended after suffering a dislocated elbow.
Mazur has also missed several weeks of action with the Griffins this season, but recently returned and demonstrated his scoring touch is still intact with 11 goals and four assists in the 15 games he's played in.
And just as he did on March 6, 2025, he was well represented by a large contingent in the stands at Little Caesars Arena. In fact, following Monday's practice, he estimated that there were at least 150 friends and family on hand thanks to the word-of-mouth spread by his father.
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"I only told my dad, and I want to say that he said 150 people showed up, I dind't even know," he said. "But I kind of let him handle all that and tell people I was playing."
He was asked if he had to spring for that many tickets, but said that while he was given four tickets, the rest of his friends and family were thankfully able to purchase their own.
"I only got four, so they got them themselves, thank God," he said with a laugh. "But no, it's good to have that support from Jackson."
The Jackson, Mich. native was selected in the third round (70th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, and it helped fulfill a lifelong dream of his as a young Red Wings fan to one day suit up for them on the ice.
"It's hard to play in a game where the whole team was as smelly as we were today, but Carter did a good job," McLellan said of Mazur's performance on Saturday.
When asked if the thought of another injury has occurred to him, Mazur answered that he knows physical ailments are part of the nature of playing professional hockey and that he tries not to think about it.
"I think you just can't think about it, I think I just got to go out there and play my game no matter what," he said. "Injuries are part of the game. They happen to a little more to me than a lot of people, but I've gone through every single one of them in a good positive way."
It looks as though Mazur could remain in Detroit's lineup as they enter a critical stretch of three road games that could go a long way in determining their ultimate fate this season.
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