GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — One of the newest members of the Green Bay Gamblers is impossible to miss — and not just because of his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame.
Head Coach Patrick McCadden believes Mace'o Phillips is poised to be one of the toughest matchups in the league.
“Yeah from a physical standpoint, he’s probably gonna be the hardest defenseman to play against in the league, in my biased opinion but I would think a lot of people would agree with me,” McCadden said. “Just having his physicality and personality in our room is going to be a great addition this season.”
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The Wayzata, Minnesota native brings his own approach to the ice.
“I’m pretty intense on the ice. I like to play hard and make it hard for the opponents every single night, so I guess they’ll see some of that this weekend,” he said.
McCadden says that style of play sets Phillips apart from others at this level.
“You don’t see that typically in the USHL. And with that comes the ability to shut down the opposition’s top lines," he said. "Guys get a little intimidated and that’s a real thing. Guys don’t want to go to the net front when he’s on the ice, right? And he plays to that.”
Team-first mentality is also a major part of Phillips’ game.
“I’ll do anything for my teammates and team to win. And I think that’s very important,” he said. “And I just will work as hard as I can for this group and for the city. So yeah, I’m just so excited for it.”
This summer, Phillips was drafted by the Calgary Flames — a milestone moment in his young hockey career.
“It was just the best feeling ever just kind of hearing that. I immediately went and hugged my mom. She’s done everything for me, gotten me here,” he said. “But yeah, it was such a cool memory that I’ll always remember.”
He also recently attended development camp with Calgary and got a look at life in the NHL.
“I just tried to be a sponge and just learn as much as I could. It’s just really cool to see like how serious they take it, how they take care of their bodies and all that,” Phillips said. “And obviously that’s stuff I can take with me for the rest of my career and here to Green Bay to show my teammates.”
Though he’s already committed to play college hockey at Minnesota, and his NHL journey is underway, his attention remains on what’s ahead in Green Bay.
“I’m just so happy with it and so happy with everything. And I’m just committed to helping us win a Clark Cup Championship,” Phillips said.
The Gamblers will face Team USA at the Resch Center on Saturday, Oct. 4. The game will be broadcast on tv32 at 6 p.m.
