Two prospective Red Wings forwards are ready to compete for employment.
Twelve NHL forwards are expected to join the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s likely that several of them will start in the starting lineup on opening night.
Even in that scenario, competition for positions throughout training camp, another move, or openings brought up by injuries or unexpected players emerging won’t go away.
The two forward prospects who don’t make the top 12 and seem to have the best chance of making the NHL are Carter Mazur and Marco Kasper.
Both are waiver-exempt, so they will need to play frequently to earn a spot on the Red Wings roster; if not, they will continue to grow with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Mazur, a right-shooting winger selected 70th overall in the 2021 (third round), finished the regular season with 17 goals and 37 points, and the playoffs with 3 goals and 8 points with the Griffins. This was Mazur’s first full AHL season. He is 6 feet 175 pounds.
Prior to the draft, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman stated, “Both of those players had very good seasons.”
“As the year went on, Marco’s play merely grew stronger and stronger. He is an excellent two-way player. More was being produced by the offence, especially during the playoffs. With strength on the puck, he charges the net. His centring skills are outstanding defensively. We’re rather happy with his growth.
Carter Mazur is in the same boat. He has a great sense of the game. He is aware of where to go, how to work, and how to get open. He hits every difficult spot, and he ends up with a puck both on and off his stick. It resembles the (Alex) DeBrincat shot somewhat. He fires the puck, and it appears to be headed in. Every time he fires, he has that. There is a chance to score.
Mazur only needs to fill out and gain a little more strength, according to Yzerman.
Yzerman stated, “Both are really good prospects for us, with good attitudes.” “This year, their minor league stats weren’t astounding. However, if you follow their development through the end of the season,
The prospect pool that participated earlier this month did not include either of them because they had outgrown development camp.
“Maze gets hurt right away; it took some time to recover,” Red Wings director of player development Danny Cleary stated. Kasper would even admit that adjusting from preseason to the early going was difficult. However, Grand Rapids players and coach Dan Watson did a fantastic job of supporting him, believing in him, and by the end of the season, they were our best players in the most important games.
