Red Wings prospect Mazur finds scoring touch in time for World Juniors

PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- The moment came early last season.

It helped
Carter Mazur
have a big freshman season at the University of Denver, and it says something about a 20-year-old forward who will play for the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton from Aug. 9-20 and could make an impact for the Detroit Red Wings someday.
"This is when you know the kid really cares and wants to be a player," Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said.
Mazur, whom Detroit selected in the third round (No. 70) of the 2021 NHL Draft, reached out to Cleary around November. He was having trouble finding the net, so he asked for video samples that could help with scoring.
The Red Wings sent him a five-minute video with clips illustrating how to find areas in the offensive zone and get his shot off quicker. After that, something clicked.
"He went on just an absolute tear, and he just felt so much more confident, and he just took off," Cleary said.
Mazur finished with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 41 games for Denver, including two assists in a 5-1 win against Minnesota State in the NCAA championship game April 9.
"It's been pretty crazy," Mazur said. "Winning the national championship is something I've always dreamed about, and to finally have it finally come true is just pretty surreal."
It's just the beginning, though.
Mazur said Denver resumed training two weeks later. Denver's goal is to become the first school to win 10 NCAA titles. Mazur's individual goal is to be a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top NCAA player in men's hockey.
"That's kind of what I want to strive for," Mazur said. "That's something that's reachable, I feel like, in my view. But it's going to be tough to get to. Just got to keep working in all my little areas to get there."
Cleary said Mazur does a lot of things well that will translate to pro hockey. He plays hard and has good instincts around the net, with a quick stick and a talent for screening goalies. Like a lot of players, he can improve his skating and small-area skills.
Mazur has stayed in Denver most of the offseason to work on his skating, taking advantage of free ice and no classwork. He said he has been on the ice four or five times a week.
When Mazur reported to Red Wings development camp at Little Caesars Arena in July, Cleary noted he looked "bigger, thicker." When he reported to the National Junior Evaluation Camp at USA Hockey Arena later in the month, he was listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds.
Mazur played one game for the United States at 2022 WJC when the tournament intially was held in December but then was canceled Dec. 29 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The tournament has been rescheduled and will start fresh, with none of the results from the December tournament carrying over. NHL Network will televise every game in the tournament in the United States.
"He's got that good experience," United States coach Nate Leaman said. "Power play, penalty kill. He's going to get a lot of minutes."
Mazur grew up in Jackson, Michigan, rooting for the Red Wings and idolizing Pavel Datsyuk. He played for the Little Caesars program at Joe Louis Arena and later Little Caesars Arena. At development camp, he found himself not only in his old locker room but his old stall.
He watched closely last season as Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond excelled. Seider, a defenseman selected No. 6 in the 2019 NHL Draft, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Raymond, a forward selected No. 4 in the 2020 NHL Draft, finished fourth in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
During the offseason, Mazur watched closely as the Red Wings, led by general manager Steve Yzerman, added goalie Ville Husso, defenseman Ben Chiarot and forwards Andrew Copp, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik.
"I know what 'Stevie Y' can do, because he did a lot with Tampa Bay as GM], so now he can do a lot for the Red Wings," Mazur said. "I'm pretty excited to be a part of that future there."
At development camp, Mazur got an up-close look at
[Simon Edvinsson
, a defenseman selected No. 6 in the 2021 NHL draft, and
Marco Kasper
, a center selected No. 8 in the 2022 NHL Draft.
"It's pretty special what they have going on there with Edvinsson, Kasper, just players like that," Mazur said. "They just have a lot of pieces that should come together and make Detroit a really good team."
Mazur wants to be one of those pieces.
"That's the goal," he said. "That's always the goal. Growing up, it was always wanting to play with Datsyuk and all those guys, and now it's starting to change to guys my age, which is pretty crazy."