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The post Red Wings Prospect Keeps Even Keel Through Up-And-Down Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesNathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
From the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Detroit Red Wings and back to the Griffins, forward Carter Mazur is living out the lyrics to a Pat Benatar song.
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Heartbreaker. Dream Maker. Don’t you mess around with me.
Mazur spent much of the first half of the season on the shelf due to a serious knee injury. Back on the ice, he was quickly back in form, potting goals with regularity for the Griffins.
That production helped earn him a recall to the parent Red Wings in time to help Detroit’s futile attempt to cling to an NHL playoff spot. That ended heartbreakingly, with the Wings again missing out on participation in the tournament for the Stanley Cup.
Instantly, though, another opportunity materialized for Mazur. Returning to Grand Rapids, he finds himself in a dream-making moment as the AHL Griffins embark on a Calder Cup run.
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Red Wings Assign Mazur A Title Shot
Up. Down. All around. It’s enough to make a fellow’s head spin. But not a fellow like Mazur.
You don’t mess around with him.
This winged wheeled yo-yo is taking all the ups and downs in stride. All that matters to Mazur is focusing on where he is today and what he needs to do to be successful tomorrow.
“My experience is it’s just be where my feet are,” Mazur said. “It’s for sure a hard thing to do, but again, it’s a learning process.
“Especially for all the young guys in this locker room. A lot of them have been through it as well, so it’s easy to kinda take that from them and then talk to them about their experiences.”
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When Mazur was coming back down to GR following the letdown in Detroit, Griffins coach Dan Watson didn’t feel any conversation about regaining his focus was necessary.
Focus comes naturally to Mazur.
Mazur Leads Griffins To Key Playoff Victory
That was evident on Wednesday. Mazur scored twice to lead the Griffins to a 4-2 home-ice victory over the Manitoba Moose in Game 3 of the Central Division semifinal.
Grand Rapids now leads the best-of-five set 2-1. The Griffins can close out the series with another home-ice triumph on Friday.
That Mazur was leading the way was not at all surprising to Watson.
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“I think with Maze, for him, he’s one of the guys that’s not going to change his game too much,” Watson said. “He’s going to produce more offense at this level. But he goes up there, he’s physical, he’s getting pucks to the net, he’s getting himself to the net, he’s in the corners battling, he’s blocking shots, he’s doing everything that’s part of his identity and is what’s in his DNA.
“He comes back here, does the exact same thing, but now he’s got a little more puck touch at this level. I hope that translates to the NHL, but for him, it’s all about just getting back down here. Enjoy this time of year. Yeah, it’s not great that Detroit didn’t make it, but those guys that came back down here now have an opportunity to go on a run.”
The post Red Wings Prospect Keeps Even Keel Through Up-And-Down Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
