Overage forward leaving a mark in final OHL season

It’s a season in which he’s found himself being relied upon in a lot of important situations.

Asking Soo Greyhounds coach John Dean about overage forward Cole MacKay and you’ll find out just how much the veteran means to the team.

“His leadership and character are second to none,” Dean said in a recent interview. “This guy is a Soo Greyhound and he represents the organization inside the community and to his fellow teammates better than most. We have a very good group this year and Cole is at the upper echelon of leadership and he’s been like that since the day I met him.”

MacKay is a player Dean has not hesitated to use in all situations including special teams and odd-man situations both offensively and defensively late in games.

“As a player, he has really rounded his game,” Dean said. “He moves his feet significantly better than he did three years ago. His first three steps, credit to him, he’s done an incredible job in making those more explosive. He reads the play much better than he did in his first year. He’s got an NHL shot. His compete level is off the chart. I can’t say enough good things about Cole MacKay.”

The 20-year-old winger is first to credit his teammates for his success at the Ontario Hockey League level.

“It’s easy to say that a lot has gone right,” MacKay said. “I just focus on the team first and let everything fall into place and that was my attitude coming into this season. Obviously, the personal stuff sneaks in.

“A lot of things have gone right,” MacKay added, “and it has a lot to do with the guys in the dressing room, the team we have and the kind of work we do in practice. It’s a collective effort as much as it sounds like it’s not. A lot of individual success comes in there and a lot of guys would say it comes from the team and the work we do together. I’ve been lucky to play with pretty much everyone in that room and they’re all good players. It’s a team-first mentality and that’s where the success is coming from and from hard work and belief in myself.”

A former fifth round pick of the Greyhounds in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, MacKay has consistently chipped in offensively since entering the league.

After posting five goals and 14 points as a rookie in 2017-18, MacKay has produced at just under a point-per-game pace since then, which includes 23 goals and 65 points through 56 games this season.

MacKay, who was named the organization's most gentlemanly player at its recent awards banquet, has made the most of playing on a line with Rory Kerins and Tye Kartye this season as the trio has become one of the OHL’s top scoring lines this season.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play with Kerins and Karts on the same line and the play speaks for itself,” MacKay said. “They’re two unbelievable players that I’m happy to get the chance to play with and that helps me out a lot.”

As the OHL returned to play this season after missing the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19, MacKay said the return has been an enjoyable one as the Greyhounds have continued to battle with the top teams of the Western Conference heading into the late stages of the regular season.

“It’s awesome,” MacKay said. “We’ve been together for a long time, most of us for four years. Jack’s really new, but he’s fit right into that group. The numbers and the play speaks for itself. They’re special players. Anytime you can get a big group like that, it makes for a special group. That’s what we’re building around this year. The young guys have gotten on the ship. They’ve done a good job. They’ve done their jobs each and every game and that’s how our success is coming out.”

With three full seasons (minus the COVID-cancelled season last winter) under his belt, MacKay said he’s noticed a marked improvement in his game, specifically in how his skating has come along.

“My skating has taken another stride as the season has gone on,” MacKay said. “Being more comfortable out there and knowing how much time and space I have, just being an older guy in the league and figuring out what you can get away with and what you can’t.”

MacKay said he has also had conversations with Dean and Greyhounds assistant coach Jamie Tardif about the professional game and how he can translate it to the OHL level and what can be translated to the pro level.

“It’s putting in the time on and off the ice and understanding what you can get away with and what translates and what wont,’ MacKay said. “That stuff had come a long way. Those conversations you have off the ice and the extra work you put in after practice and what you can implement in your game, I’ve done a lot of that.”

While exactly what’s next for MacKay after this season isn’t set, it’s safe to say he’s worked to put himself in a position to succeed.