The Calgary Flames bolstered their blueline depth in a big way on Friday by signing two highly sought after undrafted college free agents in Connor Mackey and Colton Poolman. Both one-year, entry-level contracts will kick in for the 2020-21 season.
Mackey, 23, was the prized catch, the No. 1 NCAA free agent available this spring. Friday marked the culmination of a two-year plus pursuit by Calgary. The dual-citizen Illinois native, whose father David Mackey is a British Columbia native who played 126 games in the NHL, left contract offers on the table last year to take one more run at a national championship this season at Minnesota State .
Exactly 28 of the NHL’s 31 teams expressed interest in Mackey while at Mankato. Mackey narrowed it down to six suitors on Tuesday before choosing the Flames; every team was willing to offer him the chance to step into an NHL lineup this season before the COVID-19 pandemic put the season on pause and barred teams from signing players to contracts that began in 2019-20.
For Mackey, it was the combination of trust-level with the Flames’ scouting and coaching staff, the opportunity to play in the NHL quickly, and the ability to learn from a mentor like fellow left-shooting defenceman and Norris Trophy winnerMackey previously attended the Flames’ development camp. Calgary has been tracking and kept in touch with Mackey since before his quiet 19-year-old season in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers.