Carter Mazur’s long-awaited NHL debut on March 6 of last season had all the makings of a storybook night for the 2021 Detroit Red Wings draft pick.
A Jackson, Mich., native and lifelong Red Wings fan, Mazur had dozens of friends and family in attendance at Little Caesars Arena to watch him and his teammates take on the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth).
Unfortunately, Mazur suffered a season-ending injury on literally his second shift of the night; he played exactly 17 seconds of ice time before dislocating his elbow.
It was the second time last season that Mazur was forced off the ice because of injury, the first of which being an upper-body ailment that cost him nearly three months of playing time with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
After several months of physical rehabilitation, Mazur is healthy and ready to go. Encouraging as that is on the surface, Mazur also dedicated himself to adding healthy muscle to his frame during the offseason.
With the physical style of hockey that Mazur has already made his trademark, adding strength can only benefit him.
Through the first two days of Red Wings Training Camp in Traverse City, Mazur’s added strength has already stood out to head coach Todd McLellan.
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"The weight observation is certainly there," McLellan said. "He looks heavier, stronger. Hopefully, that helps him protect his frame. He's had some serious injuries that have kept him out of hockey for a real long time, and we do think he can bring an element of tenacity to the club, that 'hunt' mentality that we're really preaching."
"We've seen that here in the first two scrimmages, and it's still really early, but I'm anxious to see him thorughout exhibition season," McLellan continued. "We're hoping for health for his well-being, and him being able to take his game to another level."
As far as whether or not Mazur is able to convince the Red Wings coaching staff and management team headed up by general manager Steve Yzerman that he deserves to be in the Opening Night lineup on Oct. 9 has yet to play itself out.
"Is that going to be with us, or with the club below us? I couldn't tell you that right now, but we'll be keeping a close eye on him," McLellan vowed.
Yzerman has spoken multiple times about his desire to see the Red Wings become a harder team for the opposition to have to face, and Mazur could soon be playing a key role in fulfilling that vision.
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