The Detroit Red Wings regular season may be in the books. At this point, things have spiraled off the deep end, and the rest of the way, the Red Wings will be crawling and looking to limp across the finish line.
But that does not mean the team is done making moves and doing what they can to build for the future of the Detroit Red Wings. For General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman, this means handing out some entry-level contracts as amateur leagues around the globe come to an end.
While the Detroit Red Wings agreed to terms of a contract with defender William Wallinder, they are also looking to sign collegiate standout Carter Mazur after his impeccable run with the Denver Pioneers program of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
The two sides are reportedly making progress on a deal as reported by Max Bultman yesterday. The two sides were able to hammer out things and get him to sign an entry-level deal.
UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed left wing Carter Mazur to a three-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2023-24 season.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 28, 2023
Mazur will report to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. pic.twitter.com/uRHISwdKZC
Mazur could have returned to Denver for his Junior season if he would like, but Yzerman was looking to avoid that. While earlier this year, the Red Wings’ GM did indicate that he was trying to leave the decision up to Mazur, the two sides agreed it was time for Mazur to turn pro.
Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur turns pro.
Mazur is in an excellent position to jump and join the Red Wings organization and see if he can continue his progression toward the NHL. Mazur had an exceptional season with the Pioneers and showed a bit of a breakout performance regarding his scoring.
While he did finish with fewer points (by one) than he had in his freshman campaign, he still had a great season with the Pioneers. In his first season with Denver, Mazur played in 41 games, with 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 total points.
He bounced back in 2022-23 with 40 games played, burying 22 goals and adding 15 assists for 37 total points with Denver. The NCHC is no easy conference either, with plenty of perennial contenders. So Mazur’s performance is undoubtedly worth noting.
Wallinder was the latest to have a professional contract announced until Mazur was the next to ink his entry-level deal and is looking to impact the Red Wings in any way he can.
It will be interesting to see what happens, but Mazur’s strong performance with Denver bodes well for his road toward the NHL as he gets going with the Red Wings organization.