Mackenzie Blackwood

Lore & Background

Blackwood began playing ice hockey at age nine, comparatively late by Canadian standards, and temporarily quit after a year. At age 12, he volunteered to play goaltender after his youth team's netminder was injured, and he became a full-time goaltender. He played 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 season. The following season, he was recruited for the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Barrie Colts selected Blackwood in the fifth round of the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. Originally a backup during his rookie 2013–14 season, he became the Colts' starting goaltender early in the season and led all OHL and CHL rookies with a 2.98 GAA and .902 save percentage, earning OHL First All-Rookie Team honors. He was selected to the OHL All-Stars for the 2014 Subway Super Series and chosen for the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game but was unavailable due to illness.

Reader's Guide

Blackwood signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils on December 30, 2015. He made his NHL debut on December 18, 2018, in a 7–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, replacing starter Keith Kinkaid. He recorded his first NHL win on December 27, 2018, a 5–2 victory over the Boston Bruins, and his first shutout on December 29, 2018, a 2–0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He became the first Devils rookie goaltender to post back-to-back shutouts and the youngest Devils goaltender to record multiple regular season shutouts, surpassing Martin Brodeur. On December 23, 2020, the Devils re-signed Blackwood to a three-year contract. On June 27, 2023, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a 2023 sixth-round pick and signed a two-year deal on July 1. His Sharks debut came on October 14, 2023, in a 2–1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, making 51 saves. On December 9, 2024, Blackwood was traded to the Avalanche along with Givani Smith and a fifth-round pick for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a conditional fifth-round pick, and a second-round pick. He made his Avalanche debut on December 14, 2024, with 37 saves in a 5–2 win over the Nashville Predators. On December 27, 2024, he agreed to a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension through 2030. He recorded his first shutout for Colorado on January 31, 2025, a 5–0 victory over the St. Louis Blues. In 37 regular-season appearances with Colorado, he posted 22 wins, a .913 save percentage, a 2.33 goals-against average, and 3 shutouts. He joined Darcy Kuemper as the only goaltenders in franchise history with at least 22 wins and three shutouts in their first 37 appearances. He made his NHL post-season debut on April 20, 2025, and recorded his first playoff shutout on April 27, 2025, a 4–0 win over the Dallas Stars. Blackwood and teammate Scott Wedgewood won the William M. Jennings Trophy for the 2025–26 season after giving up the fewest goals against (197), the first Avalanche player to win the trophy since Patrick Roy in 2001–02.

Did You Know?

• He became a full-time goaltender at age 12 after his youth team's goaltender was injured.
• He won the William M. Jennings Trophy with Scott Wedgewood in the 2025–26 season.