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Top 25 Under 25 -
#19 - Skyler McKenzie
5’9” 165 lbs - Left Wing/Centre - Shoots Left
AHL 2017-2018 Playoffs: 3 GP - 1G - 0A - 1PTS - 0PIM
WHL 2017-2018 Season: 72 GP - 47G - 40A - 87PTS - 54PIM
WHL Career Stats: 282 GP - 101G - 111A - 212PTS - 210PIM
Skyler McKenzie enters his first pro season coming off of a pre-season in which he scored three goals in two games for the Winnipeg Jets.
Despite the offensive production, McKenzie was always an extreme long-shot to make the NHL club, and found himself among those sent down to the Manitoba Moose on September 28, as he gets set to rejoin the club he played for in three games of playoff action this past year.
McKenzie got his first taste of pro hockey with the #MBMoose in the first round of the 2018 #CalderCup Playoffs. He made his @TheAHL debut memorable, scoring the eventual winning goal in Game 3! #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/hh7B5Yg3pc
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) July 3, 2018
Undrafted in his first year of eligibility, McKenzie exploded offensively in his last two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, scoring 89 goals in 144 regular season games between the two seasons. That went along with 82 assists to give him 171 points in that time frame, plus another 14 points in 21 playoff games.
Two of McKenzie’s goals in the pre-season came from deflections in front, while the third came from going hard to the net, which were key parts of his success in Portland as well.
McKenzie has the capability of bringing some offensive firepower to the Moose lineup this year, and it will be interesting to see where he slots into the lineup when the Moose open their season on Friday.