Carter Mazur Scores First NHL Goal for Childhood Team

Mazur was eight when he sketched himself in a hockey jersey and wrote that he hoped to play for the Red Wings. Sixteen years later, he scored for Detroit in its win over Florida at Amerant Bank Arena, bringing that childhood ambition into focus.

The goal came 5:26 into the first period. Seider directed the puck along the rink’s perimeter, and Mazur gathered it near the left face-off circle before beating Florida goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot for a 1-0 lead.

Detroit chose him with a third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Mazur played at the University of Denver and helped the team win the 2022 NCAA championship. He later joined the Grand Rapids Griffins, where injuries complicated his path to the NHL. He made his NHL debut on March 6, 2025, against Utah.

The goal was Mazur’s first in 18 NHL games. He described it afterward as a relief, saying that getting through injuries made the milestone especially meaningful. Seider was among the first teammates to celebrate, and Keegan Kolesar retrieved the puck for Mazur to keep.

Mazur became the 14th Michigan-born player in NHL history to score his first league goal with the Red Wings. The club had shared his childhood drawing before his NHL debut; his family attended that game, and he tossed a warmup puck to his mother.