John MacNeil
PA Herald Story
A couple of years ago, Marc Mackenzie hopped off his mountain bike and turned toward hockey at a serious level.
“I used to be a decent biker, and I had to give that up for hockey,” said Mackenzie, one of 19 prospects in Prince Albert this past weekend for the Raiders’ spring camp.
“I got (three) teeth knocked out from biking when I was 13 (or) 14. You just take a jump, land on some wood (and) see you later, teeth.”
An errant nail planted a scar on Mackenzie’s left arm from his biker-boy days.
“I stopped biking and sold the bike,” he said.
Now, the Raiders are sold on Mackenzie, a 16-year-old forward from Kelowna, B.C., who played junior B this past winter with the Chase Chiefs.
The Raiders listed him last November and even called him up for four WHL games while they were shorthanded at mid-season. They like the physicality of the six-foot-two, 189-pound Mackenzie and believe he can play major junior full-time next season.
“I’ve been spoken of highly,” he said. “It’s getting my confidence level up, but you can’t get the confidence too up for the season. You’ve got to always be on track for that.
“But I’ve got the billets (lined up for Prince Albert) and my school registered here, so I guess we’ll have to see.”
The Raiders scouted Mackenzie last fall while watching his Chase teammate and roommate Brock Balson, a Prince Albert draft pick who didn’t attend the latest spring camp.
For a couple of reasons, Mackenzie had been overlooked in his WHL bantam draft year, 2008. He had missed the second half of the 2007-08 season, because of knee problems, and he was just five-foot-six.
“I didn’t really get to partake in the draft, but it wasn’t really bad, because I got to pick what team I really wanted to go to,” he said. “It worked out well.”
A growth spurt since his Kelowna midget AAA season put Mackenzie back on the scouting radar. He was recruited to play junior B this past season, and it didn’t take long for junior A and major junior suitors to eye his talent.
“I chose the P.A. route,” said Mackenzie, whose bantam teammates included Raiders centre Ryan Harrison.
“My play was questionable my bantam AAA year, and then just started getting better ever since. My skating has gotten back to the way it should be.”
With a mix of size, skill and aggression, Mackenzie is shaping up to be an attractive prospect, regardless of whether he’s a late bloomer.
“It’s not too bad for me, because I’ve got a couple of years to try to go for the (NHL) draft. Although I was born in 1993, I was born in November, so I’m with the 94s.”
Mackenzie, who wears a chain and cross that he received from his mother, hopes to sport his traditional No. 7 with the Raiders.
He already sounds like a potential leader, showing confidence during an off-ice weekend of mental and physical nurturing, education and team-building activities.
“I sure hope so, in the future,” he said of playing a leadership role. “But, for now, I’d just like to sit back and watch and learn.”
He had 10 goals and 24 points in 50 games with the junior B Chiefs, and a team-leading 163 penalty minutes.
Among the prospects at the Raiders’ spring camp, Mackenzie was the lone skater with WHL regular-season experience.
“I think it was good,” he said of his call-up in late December and early January. “I got on the ice a fair bit, because we didn’t do too great in the games, so it helped me out. I didn’t get any minuses, so I was pretty happy about that. I was a little bit of a ghost, but I did some hitting out there.”
Much like a biker bent on making big jumps, Mackenzie likes to accentuate the physical on the ice. He’s not afraid of the corners.
“That’s one of the huge facets of my game,” he said. “Since I’ve gotten a little bigger, that’s what I’ve been doing, just throwing my weight around a little bit and getting the puck out (front).”
While his older sister plans to study law, Mackenzie is shooting for a hockey career. The Grade 11 student said business is his backup plan.
His hockey roots go back to Sherwood Park, Alta., where his family lived until he was 10 years old. Among his minor hockey teammates was Tyler Yaworski, a rookie with the Raiders last winter.
“It’s a small world,” Mackenzie said with a smile.
The Raider connection in Chase not only included Mackenzie and Balson, but also playoff pickup Shane Danyluk, the second-round Prince Albert draft pick in 2009.
Danyluk, who played with the major midget Thompson Blazers this past season, is poised to join the Raiders next season. He was Mackenzie’s training partner and roommate on the weekend.
jmacneil@paherald.sk.ca
