Connor Mackey

Connor Mackey (born September 12, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Mackey became highly coveted as an undrafted free agent after playing three years of collegiate hockey for Minnesota State University, ultimately signing with the Flames in March 2020.[1]

Connor Mackey
Born (1996-09-12) September 12, 1996
Tower Lakes, Illinois, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team Calgary Flames
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2020–present

Playing career

Amateur

After playing two years of hockey at Barrington High School near his hometown of Tower Lakes, Illinois between 2012 and 2014, serving as team captain in his final year, Mackey spent the 2014–15 hockey season as a member of the triple-A level U18 Team Illinois in the High-Performance Hockey League (HPHL).[2]

Mackey began playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2015–16. He was named an alternate captain in 2016–17 and emerged as an offensive engine on a Gamblers squad that also featured future NHL first-round pick Casey Mittelstadt. Mackey led the team with 47 points in 60 games[3] and was named USHL Defenseman of the Year and to the USHL First All-Star Team.[4] He was recruited to join the Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team to begin the 2017–18 season.

Prior to the start of his college career, Mackey was invited to and attended the Calgary Flames' 2017 summer prospect development camp as an undrafted free agent.[5] Beginning that fall, Mackey enjoyed a successful debut season with the Mavericks which saw him earn a spot on the 2017–18 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Rookie Team. In the summer of 2018, Mackey again attended an NHL prospect convention: this time, he was invited to the Buffalo Sabres' annual development camp.[6] He followed it up with a 2018–19 season during which he was named a WCHA All-Academic and to the All-WCHA Third All-Star Team.[4]

In 2019–20, Mackey, unaffiliated with any professional club after going undrafted, emerged as a top prospect and attracted interest from 28 of the NHL's 31 teams. He led Mavericks defensemen with 24 points in 36 games en route to being named to the All-WCHA First All-Star Team and the American Hockey Coaches Association's All-America West Second Team.[4] Mackey's performance in 2019–20 led TSN's Frank Seravalli to name him the top-ranked college free-agent on the market.[7]

Professional

On March 20, 2020, Mackey signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames to take effect at the start of the 2020–21 NHL season.[8] Despite his contract not taking effect until the following season, Mackey joined the Flames for practices in the Edmonton bubble as part of the return-to-play program in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.[9]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 29 1 1 2 62 2 0 0 0 2
2016–17 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 60 6 41 47 93 — — — — —
2017–18 Minnesota State University WCHA 40 4 8 12 40 — — — — —
2018–19 Minnesota State University WCHA 42 7 18 25 55 — — — — —
2019–20 Minnesota State University WCHA 36 7 17 24 29 — — — — —
NHL totals — — — — — — — — — —

Awards and honours
Award Year Ref
USHL
USHL Defenseman of the Year 2017 [4]
USHL First All-Star Team 2017 [4]
WCHA
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2018 [4]
WCHA Third All-Star Team 2019 [4]
WCHA First All-Star Team 2020 [4]

References
  1. Laing, Zach. "Calgary Flames sign prospects Connor Mackey, Colton Poolman". FlamesNation.ca. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  2. "Connor Mackey – Elite Prospects". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  3. "Elite Prospects – Green Bay Gamblers". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  4. "Connor Mackey - Men's Hockey - Minnesota State University - Mankato Athletics". MSUMavericks.com. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  5. "FLAMES DEVELOPMENT CAMP ROSTER AND SCHEDULE". Calgary Flames. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  6. Cruickshank, Scott. "From junior nobody to NHL commodity, inside Connor Mackey's journey to Calgary". The Athletic. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  7. Seravalli, Frank. "Flames land two top NCAA free agents in Mackey, Poolman". TSN. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  8. "Mackey, Poolman sign with Flames". NHL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  9. Pike, Ryan. "Flames set 31-man playoff roster". FlamesNation.ca. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
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