The Basics
Weegar is from Nepean, Ontario, right outside of Ottawa. The 6-foot, 32-year-old defenseman has played parts of 10 NHL seasons for the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames. Weegar is related to former NHL defenseman Craig Rivet, who played in the NHL for 16 seasons.
Path to the Pros
Weegar started his journey to the NHL in the CCHL (Central Canada Hockey League) with his hometown team, the Nepean Raiders. The Raiders took home the Bogart Cup as the CCHL’s champions in the 2011-12 season. Weegar played 53 regular season games and contributed 12 goals and 37 assists for 50 points. In the playoffs, he played 18 games and had six points (2G, 4A).
During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, Weegar played for the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL (Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League). Through two seasons he played 123 regular season games, scored 20 goals and added 83 assists for a total of 103 points. He also played in the postseason both years. Through 33 playoff games, he had five goals and 22 assists for 27 points. Weegar was a member of Halifax’s Memorial Cup team in 2013.
After his first season with Halifax, Weegar was drafted in the seventh round by the Florida Panthers. After his second year with the Mooseheads, he signed his first professional contract with the Panthers.
Journey to the NHL
After signing his first professional contract with Florida, Weegar played for the organization’s ECHL and AHL teams. In his first season, he split time equally between the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) and the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL); however, he stayed in the AHL for his full second season as a member of the Portland Pirates.
Weegar made his NHL debut and played three games with the Panthers during the 2016-17 season. The defenseman earned a call up late in the regular season and made his debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Apr. 3, 2017.
The following year was Weegar’s first full NHL season, and since the 2017-18 campaign, Weegar has remained in the NHL.
NHL Experience
Over the last nine NHL seasons, Weegar has played for two teams: the Florida Panthers and the Calgary Flames. From the 2016-17 season through the 2021-22 season, Weegar played 306 games for the Panthers. He had 27 goals and 94 assists for 121 points. Weegar also had three playoff appearances as a member of the Panthers. He’s played a total of 20 postseason games, has scored one goal and added four assists. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in the playoffs.
In July 2022, Weegar was traded to the Calgary Flames as a part of a multi-part deal. Since then, he has played 304 games for the Flames. With Calgary, Weegar scored 35 goals and contributed 116 assists for 151 points. Over the last three seasons, Weegar has served as an alternate captain for the Flames as well. He’s one of nine defensemen with at least 1,000 blocked shots and 1,000 hits since he made his NHL debut. Currently, Weegar has blocked 1,135 shots and recorded 1,345 hits.
In addition to his on-ice performance, Weegar was awarded Calgary’s Peter Maher “Good Guy” Award in 2024-25. The award goes to the Flames player who “best demonstrates the virtues of sincerity, integrity, dedication, and respect.”
International Experience
In addition to the 610 NHL games he’s played, Weegar has represented his home country of Canada on the international stage. At the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, Weegar served as an alternate captain for Canada’s gold medal winning team. In addition to his leadership role and winning gold, Weegar scored three goals and had eight assists in the tournament. Weegar also competed in Men’s Worlds last summer when Canada made it to the quarterfinals.
Mammoth Connections
Weegar will be reunited with several of his former teammates when he joins the Mammoth. The defenseman played with associate captain Lawson Crouse with the Portland Pirates (AHL, 2015-16) and at the 2023 Men’s Worlds Championship. Jack McBain and Michael Carcone were also members of Canada’s team in 2023. Weegar played with Nick DeSimone and Kevin in Calgary. Lastly, Weegar and Barrett Hayton were teammates at the 2025 Men’s Worlds Championship.
Over the next week stay tuned to UtahMammoth.com and the Mammoth’s social media channels to learn more about new Utah defenseman MacKenzie Weegar!
