Who The Devil Is Mackenzie Blackwood?

Mackenzie Blackwood was drafted 42nd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils.

Tweet from @NJDevils: With the 42nd overall pick, the #NJDevils select Mackenzie Blackwood! #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/dVCp4wknkp
Tweet from @NJDevils: Looks like Mackenzie Blackwood is a perfect fit in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/JLjrCR7Zia
Tweet from @NJDevils: Mackenzie Blackwood on being a goaltender in the #NJDevils organization: ���It���s an honor.��� http://t.co/07ETNMi7NX pic.twitter.com/ns3jrZbPBb
And just weeks later, attended his first Development Camp in New Jersey in July with other Devils prospects.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Watch: Glove save Mackenzie Blackwood... toe stop Anthony Brodeur. https://t.co/uiJwuGxrXs
The young players also spent some time visiting a local RWJBarnabas Health hospital.
Tweet from @NJDevils: .@joshjacobs8, @dseves7, Mackenzie Blackwood and Blake Pietila play with a fan at @SaintBarnabasNJ. pic.twitter.com/VQXzTHWVUg
And on December 20, 2015, the Devils signed Blackwood to a three-year entry-level contract.
Tweet from @NJDevils: #NJDevils have signed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to an entry-level contract:��https://t.co/4BjdMF0luA pic.twitter.com/UAOFeu0F6o
And in April of 2016, Blackwood was named the Ontario Hockey League's Player of the Week.
Tweet from @NJDevils: #NJDevils G prospect Mackenzie Blackwood has been named @OHLHockey's Player of the Week! https://t.co/ky4FxlZHDH
During the 2017-18 season, the netminder was called up to the NHL for the first time in his career.

And was recalled during the 2018-19 season for the first time on December 17th.

Tweet from @NJDevils: Hear from #NJDevils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from practice this morning after called up from Binghamton. pic.twitter.com/CpMpZRcZR0
The very next day, he made his NHL debut after relieving former Devil Keith Kinkaid in net.
Tweet from @NJDevils: This was a toe-tally great save for Mackenzie Blackwood's @NHL debut, even if we do say so ourselves. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/yN8K7v3ISG
On December 20, Blackwood started in net for the first time in his NHL career.

Tweet from @NJDevils: "To start a game and have a chance to play the whole thing. I've been getting mentally prepared for it. This is a great opportunity." -Blackwood"To finally get in tonight is very exciting and it almost feels like my season debut at this point - it's been so long." -Santini
In the first period of the matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he faced 17 shots.
Tweet from @NJDevils: In his first 20 minutes tonight, Mackenzie Blackwood faced 17 SOG. #NJDvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/4TPHBCfkQA
Although he didn't walk away with a victory, the night was a benchmark for the young goalie.
Tweet from @NJDevils: "It was a good starter and benchmark for me. The boys played really hard for me." -Mackenzie Blackwood👂 Coach Hynes: https://t.co/CmFYlWO92T👂 Zajac: https://t.co/MJbi3GeIYb pic.twitter.com/B6NU3TPY0w
Tweet from @NJDevils: It's been quite a week for Mackenzie Blackwood.
But just a week later, Blackwood started in net again on December 27 against the Boston Bruins, where he picked up his first NHL win in a 5-2 victory.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Mackenzie Blackwood earned #TheHelmet tonight too but didn���t want to show off. 😉 #FirstNHLWin pic.twitter.com/mbfvh5uzZz
The next game when the Devils hosted the Carolina Hurricanes at Prudential Center on December 29th, Blackwood recorded his first career shutout in a 2-0 victory. The milestone earned the netminder the first star of the game
Tweet from @NJDevils: Devils win on Kids Day and Mackenzie Blackwood gets the shutout! #ForTheKids | #CARvsNJD pic.twitter.com/VUQAYhNaZ8

Tweet from @NJDevils: Mackenzie Blackwood appreciation tweet. pic.twitter.com/fIw7PczSQU
He earned his second career shutout on December 31, 2018, when the Devils hosted Vancouver to close out 2018. The second shutout marked the first time in Devils franchise history that a rookie netminder posted back-to-back shutouts. That same week, he was also named the NHL's Third Star of the Week.

Tweet from @NJDevils: Our thanks to Mackenzie Blackwood for giving us a sweet way to end the year! His entire performance today is our @mmschocolate Moment of the Game. pic.twitter.com/4UWVierSL7
Episode 10 of this season's 82 Game Odyssey presented by Investors Bank highlighted Blackwood's late-December success and what it's like for him to play in the NHL.
Tweet from @NJDevils: In Episode 10 of Devils 82 Game Odyssey presented by @InvestorsBank, Mackenzie Blackwood talks about what it's like to play in the @NHL.Catch up on all #Devils82GO short clips & episodes here: https://t.co/MHKboIHwmr pic.twitter.com/9hLklaM2QT
Although we love looking at this young netminder's highlights, we have a few other fun facts that fans may not have known about him.
Blackwood started playing hockey at the age of four, although he wasn't a goalie until he was 12-years-old.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Second round selection Mackenzie Blackwood began playing hockey at four-years-old, but switched to goalie at 12. #NHLDraft
Growing up, he played lacrosse, golf and snowboarded, and his favorite school subjects growing up were gym and science. In his spare time, you might be able to catch this netminder listening to his favorite artist, Luke Bryan, or watching his favorite show, The Office. Blackwood's favorite kind of car is a truck and his favorite hockey player while growing up was Joe Sakic.
This Devil may not currently have any pets, but if he were to have one, he'd have a dog. His favorite superhero is Deadpool and his favorite food is sushi. If Blackwood wasn't a professional hockey player, he'd want to captain a fishing charter. In fact, you might be able to catch him fishing with some of his teammates during the offseason.

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