Derek MacKenzie

Derek MacKenzie
MacKenzie with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November 2013
Born	(1981-06-11) June 11, 1981 (age 43) Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Atlanta Thrashers Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers
NHL draft	128th overall, 1999 Atlanta Thrashers
Playing career	2001–2019
Coaching career	2019–present
Medal record Representing   Canada World Junior Championships 2001 Moscow

Derek MacKenzie (born June 11, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who most notably played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an assistant coach for the NHL's Nashville Predators.

He was drafted 128th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He also played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for Columbus' and Atlanta's farm teams, the Syracuse Crunch and Chicago Wolves respectively. While with the Wolves, MacKenzie was part of a Calder Cup championship team in 2002 and also spent time as the team's captain. He set franchise records in career shorthanded goals for both AHL teams.

MacKenzie's father Ken is the assistant general manager of the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves. He served as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers until the 2021–22 NHL season, for whom he previously served as captain from 2016 to 2018. He was the head coach of the Sudbury Wolves during the 2022–23 season, and was named an assistant coach for the Predators in June 2023.

Playing career

Amateur

MacKenzie began his junior career playing for his hometown Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Following his second season, in which he increased his point production from 20 to 87, he was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fifth round, 128 overall, in the 1999 National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft. ^[1] In his final season, he registered 40 goals and 89 points leading the Wolves in points and finishing sixth in the OHL. He also finished with a face-off winning percent of 67%, winning both the OHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Face-off Awards. ^{[1] [2]}

Professional

MacKenzie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and prepping for a face-off in a game against former teammate Manny Malhotra in December 2011

Atlanta Thrashers

Following his final season with Sudbury, MacKenzie joined the Thrashers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He registered 13 goals and 25 points. ^[1] He also made his NHL debut for the Thrashers during the season, against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 12, 2002. ^[3] By season's end, the Wolves finished with 86 points and qualified for the playoffs. ^[4] In the playoffs, MacKenzie helped the Wolves win their first Calder Cup championship. ^[5] Over the next three seasons, MacKenzie played mainly with the Wolves, helping them back to the Calder Cup finals in 2005. The following season, he was named team captain. ^{[1] [5]} In the opening minutes of his first home game as captain, MacKenzie crashed into the opposing team's net and broke his ankle. ^{[6] [7]} He returned later in the season and helped the Wolves to the franchise's 500th win. In the game, MacKenzie scored his third career hat-trick in the 7–3 victory over the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. ^{[8] [9]} He finished the season playing 36 games and registering 10 goals and 22 points, while the Wolves finished with 86 points and missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. ^{[10] [11]} MacKenzie spent one more season in the Thrashers system before becoming a free agent. He finished his Thrashers career with 2 assists and 20 penalty minutes (PIMs) in 28 NHL games, and 377 games played, 83 goals, and 184 points for Chicago. ^[12] He also set a franchise record for shorthanded goals with 21. ^[5]

Columbus Blue Jackets

In the off-season, MacKenzie was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets to one-year, two-way contract. ^[12] He began the season in the AHL playing for the Syracuse Crunch. He made his Blue Jackets debut on December 10, 2007, against the Anaheim Ducks; he was reassigned to Syracuse the following day. ^[13] Later in the season, he was re-called and scored his first career NHL goal against Mike Smith in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. ^[14] At the end of the season, Columbus re-signed MacKenzie to a two-year contract. ^[15] He continued to split time between Columbus and Syracuse until the 2010–11 season. During his time in Syracuse, he set the Crunch team record with 11 career shorthanded goals. ^[5] He established himself as an NHL regular in 2010–11 and finished the season with career highs in goals (9), assists (14), points (23) and plus-minus rating. His +14 was the highest for a forward and third-highest total in Blue Jackets history. ^[16] After establishing himself, MacKenzie became a fixture on the Blue Jackets' fourth line and an integral part of their penalty kill. ^[17] The following season, he spent the entire year with the Blue Jackets. Towards the end of the season, MacKenzie suffered a concussion and missed the final 16 games of the season. ^[17] He finished with 7 goals and 14 points in a career-high 66 games while leading the Blue Jackets with a +4 rating. ^[16] After passing an off-season physical, due to concussion concerns, Columbus re-signed MacKenzie to a two-year deal. ^{[16] [17]}

Florida Panthers

On July 1, 2014, MacKenzie signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the Florida Panthers. ^[18] Two years later, on October 9, 2016, he was named the ninth captain in Panthers' history. ^[19] On September 17, 2018, he was replaced as captain by Aleksander Barkov. ^[20] After playing only one game that season, he retired in the offseason and was named an assistant coach for the Panthers on June 4, 2019.

International play

Internationally, MacKenzie represented Canada at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. ^[16] He registered a goal and three points in seven games. ^[21] He also won 58.1% of his face-offs, the eight-highest percentage in the tournament. ^[22] In group play, Canada went 2–1–1 to finish third in Group B. ^[23] In the playoff round, Canada defeated the United States 2–1 before losing to Finland in the semi-final. Following the loss, Canada played Sweden in the bronze medal game, winning 2–1 and earning MacKenzie his lone international medal. ^[24]

Personal

MacKenzie is married with two children. ^[25] His father, Ken MacKenzie, is the assistant general manager of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves. ^[2] Mackenzie is also good friends with former NHL forward Mike Fisher, whom he played with in Sudbury. ^{[26] [27]}

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996–97	Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats	NOJHL		40	23	32	55	40		9	2	11	13	12
1997–98	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		59	9	11	20	26		10	0	1	1	6
1998–99	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		68	22	65	87	74		4	2	4	6	2
1999–2000	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		68	24	33	57	110		12	5	9	14	16
2000–01	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		62	40	49	89	89		12	6	8	14	16
2001–02	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Chicago Wolves	AHL		68	13	12	25	80		25	4	2	6	20
2002–03	Chicago Wolves	AHL		80	14	18	32	97		9	0	0	0	4
2003–04	Chicago Wolves	AHL		63	19	16	35	67		10	7	1	8	13
2003–04	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		12	0	1	1	10		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Chicago Wolves	AHL		78	13	20	33	87		18	5	6	11	33
2005–06	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		11	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Chicago Wolves	AHL		36	10	12	22	48		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Chicago Wolves	AHL		52	14	23	37	62		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		62	25	24	49	46		13	6	8	14	22
2007–08	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		17	2	0	2	8		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		64	22	30	52	50		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		47	17	30	47	30		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		18	1	3	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		63	9	14	23	22		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		66	7	7	14	40		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		43	3	5	8	36		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		71	9	9	18	47		6	1	0	1	2
2014–15	Florida Panthers	NHL		82	5	6	11	45		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Florida Panthers	NHL		64	6	7	13	36		6	0	1	1	4
2016–17	Florida Panthers	NHL		82	6	10	16	50		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Florida Panthers	NHL		75	3	11	14	31		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Florida Panthers	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				550	147	185	332	567		75	22	17	39	92
NHL totals				611	51	74	125	337		12	1	1	2	6

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998	Canada	U18			3	0	1	1	4
2001	Canada	WJC			7	1	2	3	4
Junior totals					10	1	3	4	8

References

1. "Derek MacKenzie player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame . Retrieved June 13, 2012.
2. Malinowski, Mark (February 21, 2012). "MacKenzie Finds His Niche in Columbus". National Hockey League . Retrieved June 13, 2012.
3. "Blue Jackets Re-Sign Center Derek MacKenzie to a Two-Year, Two-Way NHL-American Hockey League Contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. July 1, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
4. "2001-02 American Hockey League Standings". Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
5. "Alumni Spotlight: Derek MacKenzie". Chicago Wolves. June 22, 2010. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
6. Wiebe, Ken. "Moose cap successful first trip". Winnipeg Sun . Canoe Slam. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
7. Powers, Scott (October 16, 2005). "Bad break for MacKenzie, Wolves in home opener". Daily Herald . Retrieved June 19, 2012.
8. "Wolves win 500th game". Chicago Tribune . January 19, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
9. "MacKenzie Ignites Wolves 500th Win". Chicago Wolves . Retrieved June 26, 2012.
10. "Chicago Wolves all-time standings (IHL)". Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
11. "Chicago Wolves all-time standings (AHL)". Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
12. "Blue Jackets Sign Center Derek MacKenzie, Defenseman Dan Smith". Columbus Blue Jackets. July 11, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
13. "Columbus Blue Jackets Assign Forwards Derek MacKenzie, Joakim Lindstrom to AHL's Syracuse Crunch". Columbus Blue Jackets. December 10, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
14. "Chimera leads Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win over Lightning". USA Today . March 9, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
15. "Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Left Wing Craig MacDonald and Re-Sign Center Derek MacKenzie". Our Sports Central. July 14, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
16. "Blue Jackets Re-Sign Center Derek MacKenzie To A Two-Year Contract". National Hockey League. May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
17. Portzline, Adam (May 29, 2012). "MacKenzie Deal Done". The Columbus Dispatch . The Dispatch Printing Company. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
18. "Derek MacKenzie agrees to three-year contract with the Panthers". Florida Panthers. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
19. "Florida Panthers Name Derek MacKenzie Captain". NHL.com. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
20. Reynolds, Tim (September 17, 2018). "Barkov takes over as captain of Florida Panthers". AP News. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
21. "2001 IIHF World U20 Championship Team Canada Player Statistics". International Ice Hockey Federation. May 1, 2001. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
22. "2001 IIHF World U20 Championship Face-Off Leaders". International Ice Hockey Federation. May 1, 2001. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
23. "2001 IIHF World U20 Championship Group B". International Ice Hockey Federation. May 1, 2001. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
24. "2001 IIHF World U20 Championship Play Off Round". International Ice Hockey Federation. May 1, 2001. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
25. Pascal, Randy (August 11, 2011). "Derek MacKenzie enjoys breakthrough season". Sudbury Sports.com. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
26. "Mackenzie Earns Some Job Security". Sudbury Star . Retrieved July 11, 2012.
27. Pascal, Randy (February 20, 2011). "Getting to Know Derek MacKenzie". The Hockey News . Retrieved June 13, 2012.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Sporting positions
Preceded by Willie Mitchell	Florida Panthers captain 2016–18	Succeeded by Aleksander Barkov