Griff Mackenzie Junior Review

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Griff Mackenzie Junior Review

 

Griffin "Griff" Andrew Mackenzie was born in Calgary, Alberta in 2001 to Marty Mackenzie and Tammy Mackenzie-Patrick. When Griff was only 3 years old, he found a love for the game as his dad took him to minor hockey for 5 year old's. Griff's older brother, Philip, played in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen at the time, so Griff would go and watch Philip play for the first couple years of his hockey-crazed life. Griff fell in love with the game, and he was easily the most dedicated kid in that fateful first year. 

 

By age 8, Griff had attracted scouts from all over. His soft hands, laser shot, and fantastic vision were his calling cards, but his slight frame and next to none physicality made for his being vastly underrated. He played for the top minor hockey team in Calgary, the Calgary Raiders, with players two years older than him. When he was 12, he was relegated to his own age group because of the body contact issue, and he just ripped it up. In only 30 games, Mackenzie had 43 goals and 71 assists for 114 points. This definitely caught the eye of WHL and NCAA scouts, who came calling in the dozens. By age 14, Mackenzie was in the clear to becoming a star. That was when it happened.

 

When he was only 14 years old, Mackenzie was rock climbing with his friends, and his rope snapped. He fell 20 meters to the ground and broke both of his ankles, his left leg, and his left wrist. Miraculously, this was all, and his head was fine. But he was rushed straight to the hospital, and the doctors told him he would likely never play hockey again. Sitting in his hospital bed for a month before he was sent home with crutches, Griff made it his goal to get back on the ice. He couldn't properly train like other top prospects his age, so he rehabbed and rehabbed and rehabbed over and over. His recovery was sped up by his dedication to healing his injuries. But while Mackenzie was rehabbing, the WHL bantam draft came and went. Another year passed, and he was just starting to skate again. In his 15 year old year, he was not drafted into the WHL. Scouts had talked with his doctors, and it was unlikely he would ever play a high level of hockey again. So Mackenzie, ever determined, kept training. He was signed on with the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL, the Alberta junior A loop. He played limited minutes in their exhibition game, but he was declared unfit to paly in the regular season. So for his 16 year old season, Mackenzie sat on the sidelines. Training, rehabbing. Over and over and over. 

 

Just in time for the AJHL playoffs, Mackenzie was given the okay by his doctors to play. He was immediately thrust into the first line on Okotoks, and for the first couple games, he experienced a sharp learning curve. The game was faster than midget, and the players were bigger. But by the time the Oilers had moved past the first round, Mackenzie had found his step. He flourished, recording 5 goals in the next 7 games of the series. The Okotoks Oilers were to be crowned AJHL champions. 

 

Griff was 17, and he was now receiving offers from prestigious NCAA schools. He opted for another year in Okotoks, and tallied more than a point per game. He then confirmed a scholarship to the University of Michigan. When he was only 18, Mackenzie was put on the starting roster for the Wolverines. However, he was playing with 24 year old's, so the learning curve was again very sharp. Mackenzie only had 2 goals and 4 assists that season. The next season, he was on fire. 15 goals and 18 assists in 30 games for 33 points as a 19 year old. But in their first playoff series, the University of Michigan Wolverines were knocked out by an underdog. It was a devastating loss. But Griff Mackenzie wasn't done. He went out and signed with the Saskatoon Wild of the VHLM, where he looks to make an impact as their 4th line center in the playoffs.