Carter Mazur's NHL debut lasted a minute. Where does he fits into Detroit Red Wings future?
Carter Mazur's place with the Detroit Red Wings does not have the foundation the team would have liked.
The 23-year-old third-round draft pick from 2021 projects to be a lower-six forward, a grinder-type who provides energy and is the type of player a coach loves to throw on the ice after an opponent scores a goal to settle things down.
His first shot at helping the Wings ended so quickly, it was easy to miss. On March 6, 2025, he was in the lineup for the first time – and as it turned out, last time time in the 2024-25 season. He suffered an elbow injury that took months to heal and required Dan Cleary, the team's director of player development, to have a heart-to-heart with Mazur.
"He’s a great kid, good player," Cleary said earlier this month. "He’s had some tough-luck injuries over the course of his pro life, which is unfortunate. I tell him, you have to start over – dig in, you’ve got to rehab, you’ve got to keep going because he was in such a good place last year. He’s just had some bad luck."
Mazur's dislocated elbow derailed the plans the Wings had for him down the stretch this past spring, which were to audition the 6 foot, 172 pound, right shot forward to see where he would fit into the rebuild.
Mazur wears the No. 43 as a nod to his favorite NHL player, former Wings forward Darren Helm – and if Mazur could develop into that type of player in the NHL, a grinder who can effectively be used against top forwards – so much the better for the Wings.
Mazur played a minute and 10 seconds on March 6, 2025, in the Wings' home game against Utah, when he was called up in the hopes he could make the team better. Injuries already had hampered his development, limiting him to 20 games (eight goals, seven assists) with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2024-25. During his first shift, with the Wings he was injured, ending his season.
Now Mazur and the Wings have to look to 2025 training camp and the exhibition slate as the next step in Mazur's path to potentially become a regular in the NHL.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her books: “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of Hockeytown,” and “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.