Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Of Tomorrow: Carter Mazur

Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur won the 2021-22 NCAA title with the Denver Pioneers

Published

2 years ago

June 15, 2022

Bob Duff

Red Wings of Tomorrow is assessing every prospect in the Detroit Red Wings system and what they are projecting to be in the future. We’ll be looking at the strengths and weaknesses of their game, as well as what the future holds for them as they advance through the Detroit organization. Today, we feature left-winger Carter Mazur.

Carter Mazur

Position: Left Wing

How Acquired: Selected 70th overall, 2021 NHL entry draft

2021-22 Stats: 41-14-24-38 (with Denver Pioneers NCHC)

Contract Status: Unsigned

Anticipated 2022-23 Team: Denver Pioneers

Prospect Synopsis

Carter Mazur is a pain in the neck. No really, he is. Go ahead and ask him.

“I like to say it’s being like a prick,” Mazur said of his playing style. “It feels like that’s kind of my job. I like to get under people’s skin and that’s something that I feel like when I’m at my best it’s what I do.”

The Denver Pioneers left-winger is also an NCAA champion. Denver won the title last season and Mazur, who scored 14 goals, was a big part of the reason why. He was named NCHC Freshman of the Year.

The top freshman in #NCHChockey this season…

Congrats to @DU_Hockey's @Carter_Mazur on winning the 2021-22 NCHC Rookie of the Year! #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/Fay7eEfVqp

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 17, 2022

It was the second straight big campaign for Mazur. He scored 20 goals for Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2020-21 and as a result, was selected 70th overall by the Red Wings in the NHL entry draft.

Mazur was well known to Red Wings amateur scouting director Kris Draper, who coached the Jackson, Michigan native in youth hockey with Little Caesars.

“It’s honestly crazy that it comes full circle,” Mazur said.

Estimated Time of Arrival in Detroit

Dan Stewart of Draft Prospects Hockey sees a little bit of Darren Helm in Mazur. Most scouts are projecting that Mazur won’t be a big scorer at the NHL level but could evolve into a very useful bottom-six forward. He’s willing to work the corners and the net front and thrives on being difficult to play against.

Dreams come true. Read this from ⁦@Carter_Mazur⁩, age 8. Now the Michigan native is the newest ⁦@DetroitRedWings⁩ @NHL Draft pick. (Photo courtesy: Mazur Family.) ⁦@NHLNetwork⁩ ⁦⁩ pic.twitter.com/PDyvtfpamT

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2021

“A fleet-footed, slick-skating winger, he is very physically underdeveloped but has a good frame to add strength, takes strong, accurate shots, possesses good awareness, and brings a two-way effort to the table,” Stewart said.

The 6-foot, 170-pound Mazur is a right shot, another element that could make him valuable at the NHL level.

In general, if an NHL team is viewing a college player as a legit NHL prospect, they will turn him pro following his sophomore season. That makes the 2022-23 campaign a vital one in Mazur’s hockey future. If he picks up where he left off last season, he’ll be just fine. It’s almost a certainty that he will need AHL time, so it’s unlikely Mazur would get an NHL look prior to the 2024-25 season.