Mackenzie Carson was originally a fifth round pick, 59th overall at the 2017 SJHL Bantam Draft. (Twitter/FFBombers)

By Mat Barrett

Carson Commits

Carrot River native, former Trojan signs with Flin Flon Bombers

Jun 26, 2020 | 6:31 PM

A former Tisdale Trojan, and local product has signed in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) for the 2020/2021 season.

Carrot River native, forward Mackenzie Carson has signed with the Flin Flon Bombers after being a fifth round pick by the Bombers at the 2017 SJHL Draft. Carson said playing in the SJHL has been on his mind for a long time.

“Growing up as a kid, you think of those SJHL players, they’re a big deal and stuff like that as a little kid,” he said. “And then you grow up a little bit and then you’re thinking about it and you’re like ‘my little kid self is thinking of me as a big deal right now’, so it’s a pretty cool feeling, not going to lie.”

The 2002-born Carson also attended camp with the Prince Albert Raiders last season and impressed the Raider brass, but was ultimately not signed and went to Bomber camp where he played some exhibition games with the club. He said Prince Albert was still an option but the SJHL kept drawing him back.

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In a tweet made by the Bombers, Head Coach Mike Reagan raved about Carson’s fit with the team.

“Mack is a big strong power forward,” the tweet read. “He goes to the dirty areas and has a touch around the net.”

Carson said he’ll be a power forward to work the corners, something he did very often while playing for the Tisdale Trojans.

“[It’s] what I do, I have no problem with that, that’s sort of what my job has been since I was younger in my hockey career,” Carson told northeastNOW. “They also want me to be character guy, a good personality, get along with the boys on the team, and I feel like I can contribute big time in that area.”

As for his fit with Flin Flon itself, Carson thinks it’ll be a seamless transition. The Whitney Forum is a smaller rink in comparison to the rest of the SJHL, similar to what Carson knew in Tisdale. The fan support and community involvement is also big in Flin Flon, something that was also a major piece during his time with the Trojans.

Carson also got into one regular season game with the Bombers during the 2019/2020 season, and has heard nothing but great things about the SJHL’s most northern franchise.

“It’s nothing new to me,” he said. “It’s some place that I would be really comfortable in.”

Carson has seemed to succeed and be a major contributor throughout his midget hockey career. In 2017/2018, he scored 15 goals and was nearly averaging a point per game with the North East U18AA squad en-route to winning the provincial title that season.

Carson jumped to U18 AAA the next season with the Tisdale Trojans who were set to host the Telus Cup West Regionals that year. The then 16-year-old had 18 points in 44 regular season games that year, but then exploded in the playoffs tallying four goals and three assists in seven playoff games. The Trojans ultimately fell in the semi-finals to the Saskatoon Blazers, but they still had a chance at a Telus Cup birth. At the regional tournament, Carson only managed one assist, but the Trojans did earn a berth at the national championship where Carson had four points in seven games against some of the best U18 AAA players in the country. Tisdale ultimately won the bronze medal at the event. The second time the franchise has been at the national championship.

That success in 2018/2019 transferred to Carson’s last year in U18 hockey with the Trojans where he was named an assistant captain. The offence seemed to come easily for Carson who scored 31 goals in 44 regular season games, good for second on the team, and third in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL). His 44 points were third on the Trojans, and 19th in the SMAAAHL. The playoffs came for Tisdale and Carson continued to be a leader, leading the team in points with seven, and goals with five. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put the Trojans run to a halt as after winning their first round series against the Blazers, things were shut down just two games into their semi-final matchup with the Regina Pat Canadians.

Carson said his development through the years has skyrocketed and the sky’s the limit for the big power forward. He ends his U18 AAA career with Tisdale playing 122 games over the regular season, playoffs, and trip to the Telus Cup.

As for getting ready for the 2020/2021 season, he said it’s got to be the same as usual, no matter the circumstances.

“Mentally and physically, it’s going into it the same as any other hockey season,” Carson said.

He said while he hasn’t been on the ice since the SMAAAHL season was cancelled, runs and home workouts have been how he’s stayed active.

The SJHL has said they hope to begin play not much later than normal.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6