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Mackenzie Blackwood
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mackenzie Blackwood (born December 9, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Blackwood was the top-rated North American goaltender ranked in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings for the 2015 NHL entry draft.[1] He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, 42nd overall, in the 2015 NHL entry draft.
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Early life
Blackwood was born on December 9, 1996, in Thunder Bay, Ontario.[2] His father was involved in local ice hockey teams, while his mother played basketball and track and field.[3] He began playing ice hockey at the age of nine, comparatively late by Canadian standards, and temporarily quit after only a year.[4][5] When he was 12 years old, the goaltender for Blackwood's youth hockey team was injured, and Blackwood volunteered to mind the net in his place. He enjoyed the new position and became a full-time goaltender.[6] He played in house leagues with the Volunteer Pool Bearcats and Neebing Hawks before joining the Thunder Bay Kings of the Thunder Bay AAA Hockey League for the 2011–12 minor ice hockey season.[4] There, he won 15 games while posting a 3.08 goals against average (GAA).[7] The following season, he was recruited for the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League; the son of Elmira director of hockey operations Keith Stewart was a scout for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and wanted Blackwood to gain a year of development in a lower-tier junior ice hockey league before he was drafted by a Junior A-level team.[8]
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Playing career
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Junior
Following his performance in minor hockey, the Colts selected Blackwood in the fifth round of the 2012 OHL Priority Selection.[7] Originally a backup during his rookie 2013–14 season, Blackwood became the Colts' starting goaltender early in the season when Mathias Niederberger left the team and Alex Fotinos struggled in the role.[9] He earned his first shutout on November 1, stopping all 31 shots from the Niagara IceDogs.[10] After leading all rookies in both the OHL and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) with a 2.98 GAA and .902 save percentage (SV%) and leading OHL rookies with 23 wins, Blackwood was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team in 2014.[11] Although the Colts' OHL postseason run came to an end with a loss to the North Bay Battalion in the second playoff round, Blackwood was praised by coaches for his performance during the season, and he was expected to remain Barrie's starting goaltender for the remainder of his junior hockey career.[12]
The following season, Blackwood was selected to the OHL All-Stars for the 2014 Subway Super Series.[13] He was also chosen to play the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, but was unavailable due to illness.[14]
Professional
New Jersey Devils
On December 30, 2015, Blackwood signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils, who had drafted him in the 2015 NHL entry draft.[15] After playing for the Devils' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Blackwood was assigned to the Adirondack Thunder, the Devils' ECHL affiliate, on January 1, 2018.[16]
Blackwood began the 2018–19 season with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils. He was recalled to New Jersey on December 17 after goaltender Cory Schneider was placed on injured reserve.[17] Blackwood made his NHL debut the following night in a 7–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He replaced starter Keith Kinkaid in the third period and saved eight of 10 shots.[18] On December 20, Blackwood made his first NHL start against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and although the Devils lost 2–1, Blackwood had an impressive performance, saving 36 of 38 shots.[19] On December 27, Blackwood recorded his first NHL win, a 5–2 victory over the Boston Bruins, with another strong performance, making 40 saves on 42 shots.[20] In his third NHL start, Blackwood recorded 37 saves to earn his first shutout in a 2–0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on December 29.[21] Blackwood was named a Star of the Week following this performance.[22] Following another shutout victory on December 31 against the Vancouver Canucks, Blackwood became the first Devils rookie goaltender to post back-to-back shutouts. He also became the youngest Devils goaltender to record multiple regular season shutouts, surpassing Martin Brodeur.[23] On January 3, 2019, Blackwood was named to the North Division roster for the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic.[24] On January 10, Blackwood was placed on injured reserve by the Devils due to a lower-body injury he suffered on January 2.[25] He returned to the Devils and played his first game since January 4 in a 3–2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on January 12.[26]
On December 23, 2020, the Devils re-signed Blackwood to a three-year contract.[27]
San Jose Sharks
As a pending restricted free agent with the Devils, Blackwood was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a 2023 sixth-round pick on June 27, 2023.[28] On July 1, he signed a two-year deal with the Sharks.[29] His debut for the Sharks came in the early stages of the 2023–24 season on October 14, in a 2–1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, in which he made 51 saves.[30]
Colorado Avalanche
On December 9, 2024, Blackwood was traded by the Sharks to the Colorado Avalanche, along with Givani Smith and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL entry draft, for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick, and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.[31][32] Blackwood made his debut with the Avalanche on December 14, registering 37 saves in a 5–2 victory over the Nashville Predators.[33]
After four outings with Colorado, Blackwood agreed to five-year, $26.25 million contract extension to remain with the Avalanche through 2030 on December 27, 2024.[34] With the Avalanche completely revamping the goaltender position during the season, with former Devils teammate Scott Wedgewood having earlier been acquired to serve as backup, Blackwood helped stabilize the net and was a central reason for improved defensive play in the backend. He recorded his first shutout for the Avalanche in a 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues on January 31, 2025.[35] Among the top statistical goaltenders from the time he joined the Avalanche, Blackwood completed the regular season making 37 regular-season appearances with Colorado. In those appearances, he started 36 times and notched 22 wins along with a .913 save percentage, a 2.33 goals-against average and 3 shutouts. Blackwood joined Darcy Kuemper as the only goaltenders in franchise history to post at least 22 wins and three shutouts in their first 37 appearances with the team.[36]
In making his post-season debut in the NHL, Blackwood posted a victory for the Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round series against divisionsal rivals, the Dallas Stars, on April 20, 2025.[37] He posted his first career playoff shutout, making 23 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Stars in on April 27, 2025.[38] Unable to help the Avalanche advance to the second round losing the series deciding Game 7, Blackwood notched 3 wins and posted a 2.71 goal against average.[39]
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International play
On June 24, 2015, Blackwood was one of only three goaltenders invited to attend Hockey Canada's U-20 summer development camp.[40] He was one of three goaltenders who represented the Canadian junior team at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[41]
On April 29, 2019, Blackwood was named as the third-choice goaltender to the senior Canadian roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[42] He made his debut for Canada in a relief appearance, replacing Carter Hart for nine minutes in a 5–0 round robin victory over Denmark on May 20. He earned a silver medal as Canada progressed through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland on May 26.[43]
Personal life
Blackwood was raised in Thunder Bay. His mother, Rhonda Crocker-Ellacott, is the President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.[44] His father was a fan of the Colorado Avalanche and encouraged his son to cheer for them.[45][46]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
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Awards and honours
References
External links
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