Carter Mazur is hoping to ignite the Detroit Red Wings as they battle for a playoff berth. The Red Wings draftee recently played in his second consecutive NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This marks the start of a three-game trip and the first of nine games remaining on the schedule.
Mazur’s recent appearance was his 2025-26 debut, more than a year after his initial NHL debut was cut short due to an elbow injury after just 1:10 minutes of play.
Mazur’s Mindset After Recent Injury Struggles
Mazur admitted to feeling timid during the first period of his recent game, given his past injury. However, he expressed increased confidence following the game. “The first period I was a little bit timid for sure, especially with how last time went,” Mazur said. “That’s kind of in the back of my mind. But now that I got the first one out of the way, I’m feeling really confident in my game.”
He turned 24 on the same day he was recalled. Mazur missed most of this season due to injuries that have hampered his progress since being drafted by the Wings in the third round (No. 70 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft from Denver University. He was limited to 20 games in 2024-25.
Coach McLellan’s Perspective
Coach Todd McLellan acknowledged he didn’t know much about Mazur initially, given the large number of players during training camp. McLellan said, “I didn’t know a lot about Carter. Even through training camp, there’s so many players this year. We were together for six, seven days, and then an exhibition season, and there’s so many to manage that it’s hard to really get to know an individual, so you rely a lot on individuals in the organization.”
McLellan added that Mazur’s previous injury prevented him from being involved earlier in the season. “Anything that we saw this year, he really wasn’t involved in because of another injury, which has been unfortunate to him.”
However, McLellan noted Mazur’s strong performance with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He said the team aims to bring up productive players from the minors to provide a spark. “Since he’s been back, though, he’s been quite an effective player down there, and we’ve always tried to tap into those players that are playing well and maybe productive there and bring them up and see if they can give us a spark. I think he provided that, but it wasn’t an easy game to come and play when the rest of the group was pretty flat.”
Mazur’s Role and Aims
Mazur practiced on a line with J.T. Compher and David Perron in Monday’s practice. Previously, he played with Marco Kasper and Emmitt Finnie for around 10 minutes on Saturday.
Mazur has 11 goals among 15 points in 14 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.
Mazur is focused on contributing energy and spark to the team. “I’m just happy to be back here and get back to my game,” Mazur said. “It’s a really good feeling. Again, I’m here for a reason. I want to bring energy and spark to this team, and I feel like I can do that. And then I just look forward to showing what I can really do. I’ve only played 14 games this year, so to get back in this and just ramp up my intensity is really all I need to do.
He also acknowledged the difficulties he’s faced. “It’s been a tough road, but I feel like I got better from it.”