Carter Mazur is hungry, literally and figuratively.
The 2021 third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings has had the sort of year that boosts a young player’s confidence, going from the University of Denver, where he was an assistant captain, to making his professional debut to suiting up for his country at the World Championship.
And now, in early July, he’s at Little Caesars Arena for development camp, where among other things he is learning how to add muscle to his 6-foot, 177-pound frame.
“It’s like a second job for me,” Mazur said Tuesday. “My first job is hockey, my second job is eating food.”
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Mazur sees a role for himself as a player: “I like pissing people off, that’s a big part of my game,” he said. “I love chirping, getting under other people’s skin, I don’t care who you are. It’s something I enjoy and it makes hockey a lot of fun.”
Carter put in something of an audition playing for the U.S. at the World Championship, where the coaching staff included Wings coach Derek Lalonde. Lalonde told the Free Press after the May tournament what he liked about Mazur’s performance: “There are still a lot of areas where he needs to grow his game, but I got a very good impression from him. He put his nose right into things. It was impressive to see.”
Mazur had a goal and three assists in 10 games, and came away with valuable experience.
“I feel like it helped me a lot,” he said. “The first game, Miko Rantanen was out there, players of that caliber. It was special to be on the same ice as them and share it with them. But I felt like I was out there doing what I do best and I was ready and was put in a situation where I succeeded. I look forward to a future of playing against men here on out.
“It’s my lifelong dream to be a Detroit Red Wings and I know I’m close to it, but it’s still far, far away,” Mazur said. “I want to be a really good player in the NHL, I don’t just want to be someone that just sticks around for a couple games and gets sent down. I want to be a player that has a reason and competes and does everything. That is my main focus.”
Mazur played the past two seasons at the University of Denver. In 2021-22, he recorded 14 goals and 24 assists in 41 games, leading all Pioneers freshmen and finishing second in NCAA scoring for a freshman (trailing only Luke Hughes’ 39 points for Michigan). The Pioneers beat Hughes’ Wolverines in the Frozen Four, then took down Minnesota State for the national title.
In his sophomore season, Mazur recorded 22 goals and 15 assists in 40 games, leading the Pioneers in goals, power-play goals (eight), and game-winning goals (six). On March 28 — his birthday — Mazur signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wings and joined the Grand Rapids Griffins, with whom he posted three goals and three assists in six games.
Mazur projects to start next season with the Griffins. He plans to spend part of the time living at home in Jackson — “my mom is an amazing chef,” he said — and part of the time in Detroit, where he can take advantage of Little Caesars Arena’s training facilities.
“I just want to keep focusing on my game, because my game got me to this point,” he said. “If I keep working on my game and keep getting better at certain areas of my game, then I feel like I really have a good chance to show what I can prove to be a part of Detroit. Even if I’m in Grand Rapids, it doesn’t matter, I’m in a good spot either way.”
Contact Helene St. James athstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter@helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon,Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.