Thrasher sharpened by Blades in WHL debut

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This article was published 10/01/2014 (4267 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many wouldn’t be delighted to spend Christmas Day on a plane to Saskatoon, but it was just right for Mackenzie Dwyer.

The 16-year-old River East Collegiate student, who is also a second-year defenceman for the Winnipeg Thrashers of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League, made the short hop to Saskatchewan’s largest city on the holiday. Dwyer made the trip in order to make his Western Hockey League debut with the Saskatoon Blades on Dec. 27 as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the host Prince Albert Raiders.

Teamed up with then-Blades captain Graeme Craig, who has since been traded to the Raiders, Dwyer had an on-ice mentor right away.

“He definitely helped me out a lot, as soon as we got off (the ice), he’d give me a few tips about things I could do differently,” Dwyer said of Craig. “It was nice to play with him — I didn’t have to worry too much about my partner making mistakes.”

Dwyer said he didn’t expect to get a chance to strut his stuff with the club until next season, but appreciated the opportunity to show the Blades’ coaching staff what he can do — as he laid out Prince Albert’s Reid Gardiner with a check using his 6-3 frame. He said there were some growing pains as part of the transition, though.

“It was definitely a step up, a lot higher speed, a lot higher tempo. It was nice to get in there and figure out how much of a step it is and what I need to do to play at that level every night,” said Dwyer, who was on the ice for three Raider tallies. “(I learned more) about my positioning on the ice, just figuring out where I need to be.”

Dwyer said he particularly focused on where to position himself in the defensive zone, during one-on-ones, and how to position his stick.

With the Thrashers (22-6-2), Dwyer has nine goals and 17 assists in 30 games as of Jan. 10, already doubling last season’s output as he steps into a more offensive role. He was named to the league’s second all-star team along with teammates Ryan Kubic (goalie) and Nolan Patrick (forward).

Kubic and Patrick also received the opportunities to practice with their WHL clubs — the Vancouver Giants and Brandon Wheat Kings, respectively — over the break, though Dwyer was the only team member to get game action. Defenceman Ryan Gardiner spent the break with Team West at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Nova Scotia, where he tallied the game-winning goal in the ninth-place game, a 4-3 win over Germany.

Thrashers coach Dan Eliasson said Dwyer, and all the players who kept going over the break, are reaping the benefits of getting a taste of the higher level.

“The first weekend back, you could tell which guys were with their WHL clubs, or at the U-17 Championships, or somewhere else,” Eliasson said. “Everyone else takes a game or two to get back in the swing.

“Mackenzie is sharp and confident and everything else that comes with being up with the big club for a few days.”

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