Derek MacKenzie
Canadian forward, former Panthers captain, now Predators assistant coach.
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Derek MacKenzie is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Florida Panthers in the NHL. He was drafted by the Thrashers in 1999 and later served as captain of the Panthers. He is currently an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators.
Playing career
MacKenzie began his junior career with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. After his second season, his point production rose from 20 to 87, and he was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fifth round, 128th overall, of the 1999 NHL entry draft. In his final junior season, he scored 40 goals and 89 points, leading Sudbury in points and finishing sixth in the OHL. He also won the OHL and Canadian Hockey League Face-off Awards with a 67% face-off winning percentage.
Following junior hockey, MacKenzie joined the Thrashers' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, recording 13 goals and 25 points. He made his NHL debut for the Thrashers against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 12, 2002. That season, the Wolves qualified for the playoffs and won their first Calder Cup championship. Over the next three seasons, MacKenzie played mainly with Chicago, helping them reach the Calder Cup finals in 2005.
He was later named team captain. In his first home game as captain, he broke his ankle after crashing into the opposing net. He returned later that season and scored his third career hat-trick in a 7–3 win over the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, which was the franchise's 500th victory.
He finished that season with 10 goals and 22 points in 36 games, though the Wolves missed the playoffs for the first time. MacKenzie spent one more season in the Thrashers system before becoming a free agent. In 28 NHL games with Atlanta, he recorded 2 assists and 20 penalty minutes. For Chicago, he played 377 games, scoring 83 goals and 184 points, and set a franchise record for shorthanded goals with 21.
International play
MacKenzie suited up for Canada at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Over seven games, he scored once and added two assists for three points.
His face-off win rate of 58.1% ranked eighth in the tournament. Canada posted a 2–1–1 mark in group play, good for third in Group B. In the knockout stage, they edged the United States 2–1, then fell to Finland in the semi-finals. Canada bounced back to beat Sweden 2–1 in the bronze medal game, giving MacKenzie his sole international medal.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold 1998 Canada U18
- Bronze 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Bronze World Junior Championships — 2001 Moscow
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 | Gold | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2001 | Canada | WJC | Bronze | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Junior totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Derek MacKenzie (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- MacKenzie's father Ken is the assistant general manager of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves.
- He is good friends with former NHL forward Mike Fisher, whom he played with in Sudbury.
- MacKenzie served as head coach of the Sudbury Wolves during the 2022–23 season.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Derek MacKenzie born?
Derek MacKenzie was born on 11 June 1981 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
What position did Derek MacKenzie play?
Derek MacKenzie's position is listed as Centre.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Derek MacKenzie (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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