PREVIEW: Mazur set to make NHL debut with Red Wings against Utah on Thursday

DETROIT -- Hungry to show what he can do at the sport’s highest level, Carter Mazur is set to make his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings when they welcome the Utah Hockey Club to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.

“It’s crazy,” Mazur, a native of Jackson, Mich., said after Thursday’s morning skate. “This is my third time wearing the Red Wings jersey in a way, so it’s special to me, and wearing No. 43. My favorite player was Darren Helm, who played for Detroit. Also very special that I get to wear his number in honor of him, so that’s pretty awesome.”

Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop (broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit) also marks the first-ever meeting between Detroit (30-25-6; 66 points) and Utah (27-25-9; 63 points). The teams will finish their season series when the Red Wings play at Delta Center on March 24.

However long this opportunity with the Red Wings might be, Mazur said he’s determined to be a difference-maker.

“Growing up a Red Wings fan, seeing how much they’ve won and how the fans love the playoffs, it’s something that I hope I can be part of,” Mazur said. “I hope to help them get in the right direction. I know they’re moving in the right direction, so it’s pretty awesome to join a team in this push right now.”

Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said Mazur will slot in on the fourth line against Utah but, as of Thursday morning, was still deciding who the 22-year-old forward would play alongside.

“The feedback from the coaching staff and from management is that he had a really good Training Camp, was on the cusp of staying here, but maybe needed a little more time,” McLellan said about Mazur. “Then the injury probably set him back a little bit. I understand he’s extremely competitive, really competes for open ice and has a little bit of pace and intensity to his game, and we could use that right now.”

Mazur was sidelined from Oct. 19 -- Jan. 18 due to an upper-body injury and has recorded 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 20 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

The former third-round pick (No. 70 overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft said he anticipates between 200 and 300 family and friends will be at Little Caesars Arena for his NHL debut.

“I think my dad knows enough people to where it spreads,” Mazur said. “He kind of spread the news too, which is funny. I think everyone [in Jackson, Mich.] knows.”

In addition to Mazur’s first career NHL game, Michael Rasmussen (undisclosed) is expected to return to the Red Wings’ lineup on Thursday. The 25-year-old forward last played on Feb. 23, and has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 56 games this season.

“We’ve come a long way since Christmas,” Rasmussen said. “A couple of games not going our way isn’t going to bring us down, so just got to stick with it and keep going. There’s going to be lots of ups and downs. A bit of a down right now, but there’s going to be more ebbs and flows throughout the season and even going forward as a team into the future.”

Detroit dropped its third consecutive game on Tuesday, losing, 2-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes. As for Utah, who sits four points out of the Western Conference’s second Wild-Card spot, the club has won six of its last nine games and most recently fell, 3-1, to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Captain Clayton Keller has a team-leading 69 points on 22 goals and 47 assists this season, while Logan Cooley (17 goals, 30 assists) and Nick Schmaltz (12 goals, 35 assists) are tied for second on Utah in scoring with 47 points apiece.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka, who signed a five-year contract extension with Utah on Thursday morning, is 16-16-4 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 38 games this season.

“They work really hard,” Rasmussen said about Utah. “From what I’ve watched briefly, they just look like like hard workers. They look like they have a good system. Obviously, some high-end skill up front, a pretty deep D-core and some depth. We got to stick to our game, just worry about ourselves and make adjustments as they come.”