Carter Mazur Making an Impact in Griffins Return
The 2021 third round draft pick has made an immediate impact for the Grand Rapids Griffins in his return from injury
Carter Mazur's 2023-24 season didn't start the way he wanted it to.
The 2021 third round draft pick was supposed to push for a spot with the Detroit Red Wings in the preseason, but instead, a lower body injury on the opening day of the Traverse City Prospects Tournament cost him all of training camp, the start of the regular season, and the chance to prove his NHL-readiness straight away.
On November 1st, Mazur made his season debut for the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters. In the days since, he's up to four games played with two assists.
Mazur got his first point of the season by assisting on an Elmer Soderblom goal in the Griffins' 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Admirals on November 4th.
Mazur has begun to get his offensive game going in the context of a Griffins team that currently ranks dead last in the AHL's Central Division with just 22 goals in 10 games played.
However, Mazur takes pride in bringing more than just scoring to his team. As he said back at Red Wings development camp, "I would say I like pissing people off...That's a big part of my game, so I feel like when that's going on, and I'm getting under people's skin that's what I consider a 'B' game and then 'A' I would consider I'm doing all that as well as skill plays, good passing, scoring goals."
That B game of getting under opponents' skin has manifested in the form of physicality in the early stages of his '23-24 season.
It's perhaps a bit too early to suggest it's time for Mazur to get a crack with Detroit, but as he continues to recover his form post-injury, he promises to make an impact at the NHL level before the end of the season.