‘He's a bit of a throwback': Meet Calgary Flames third-round pick Mace'o Phillips

Edmonton Journal

6 hours ago

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On Friday night, shortly after the Calgary Flames called his name in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Cullen Potter fielded several questions about his mom.
An obvious angle, since Jenny won four Olympic medals during an illustrious hockey career.
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The following day, when the Flames welcomed Mace'o Phillips to the fold, the heavy-hitting blue-liner wanted to brag a bit about his own mother, Amy.
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'She's kind of the reason I am who I am today,' Phillips said. 'She is the first person I hugged when I got picked. I can't thank her enough for all she's done for me.'
Amy has been a pillar of strength for this defence prospect from Wayzata, Minn., raising Mace'o and his sister as a single parent.
She was also a heck of an athlete in her own right.
During the draft broadcast, they mentioned that Amy competed in gymnastics and soccer. According to her son, who has spent the past two seasons with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (USNTDP), there was another sport that they forgot to mention.
'Her eighth-grade year, she was out in the field at Apple Valley High School here in Minnesota and she was just kicking some field goals with her friends,' Phillips said. 'And the boys' football coach saw her kicking field goals and they asked her to be the kicker for the boys' football team in high school.
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'So I definitely get some of that athleticism from her.'
Potter and Phillips, two of the eight prospects selected by the Flames in the 2025 NHL Draft, are actually close friends.
They both hail from Minnesota and were teammates with the USNTDP in 2023-24. Everything College Hockey recently filmed a day-in-the-life feature on Potter, who has already played his freshman season with the Arizona State Sun Devils, and Phillips makes a cameo as his pickleball partner.
You can bet these buddies have been volleying back and forth about eventually becoming fan faves in Calgary.
Just like Jenny was a speedster on skates, Cullen can absolutely fly. This potential pivot is now the fastest player in the Flames' pipeline and has the soft hands required to make offensive plays at high pace.
While Mace'o moves well for his size, he is less dash and more smash.
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At 6-foot-6 and 233 pounds, he would also be an appealing football recruit.
He plays an aggressive, imposing brand and led the USNTDP in penalty minutes this winter, with 103.
There is a former NHL tough guy on the Flames' amateur scouting staff, and he can vouch for Phillips' grip strength.
'I think he almost broke Jim Cummins' hand in the interview, and Jim is a big man too,' grinned general manager Craig Conroy. 'So I'm like, 'Oh, this is gonna be fun.'
'He's a bit of a throwback — big, heavy, hard,' Conroy added of Phillips. 'If the game gets going a certain way, I think he's going to be right in the middle of that game. As a player, I always liked having those guys on my team. When I think back, I guess everybody always thinks, 'Oh, you must have liked playing with all the skill.' But it's nice playing with people that you know they have your back and they're going to play hard, be physical and just make it miserable to play against.
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'It's something that we wanted to have. We wanted to get, I call it a throwback — a big, heavy, hard guy on the back-end. He fits that mould.'
Patience will be required, but the Flames hope that Phillips can eventually add some brawn to a blue-line crew that is well-stocked with offensive danglers. He'll skate next season with either the WHL's Portland Winterhawks or the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers and then has committed to the University of Minnesota.
As he chases his NHL dream, Phillips will need to show he can be counted on for a fast and accurate first pass. Although he totalled only two goals and six points in 60 games during his draft year, scouts will tell you he has a howitzer of a shot.
'I'd say I'm a physically dominant defenceman,' Phillips said. 'I take pride in being hard to play against. I just want to win a Stanley Cup for the Calgary Flames and shut down top lines and intimidate my opponents with my physicality and contribute offensively as well, at the right times. I play with a lot of compete and high energy, so I'm just super excited to showcase that.
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'Just my passion for the game and my will to win is why I play so hard. I'll also do anything for my teammates and team to win, so I think that's a part of it too. I always like to let my teammates know I have their back, on and off the ice.'
On what turned out to be a special Saturday, he was reminded how many people have his back.
Amy earns credit for another big assist on this one.
'My mom actually threw me a surprise draft party at a local restaurant, upstairs in a private room,' said Phillips, guesstimating there were about 70 people in attendance. 'When we saw my name, everybody got up and was screaming. I broke down in tears. I really didn't think I was going to cry, but I just immediately hugged my mom.
'I'm kind of at a loss for words, honestly. I'm just so thankful for the opportunity. I couldn't be more excited to be a Flame.'
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