2026 Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings: #15 Mace’o Phillips

Phillips is a hulking defensive defenceman, standing at 6’6″ and over 230 pounds already at just 19 years old. He’ll never stand out for his offence, but has the tools to terrorize opposition forwards.

Phillips’ development so far

As mentioned off the top, Phillips isn’t going to stand out for his offence. That’s not a part of his game at all. Case in point, he’s registered just 30 points in 233 games dating back to the 2023-24 season. His uptick to 11 points in 44 USHL games this past season was the first time he’s hit double-digit points in a season since he was playing high school hockey in 2022-23. Needless to say, there isn’t much to discuss here.

Phillips’ Strengths

Strengths

Mobility

What stands out most about Phillips’ game, outside of the obvious, is his skating and mobility. He moves well for a player his size. It’s not often you see a 6’6″ defender moving around the ice as easily as him. He’s not an elite skater by any means, but for a player with his build, he can get around the ice well, and it allows him to combine his size and mobility to become a great defensive defender.

If he can continue to work on his mobility over the next couple of years, he could become a beast to play against.

Size and Strength

Now for the obvious. Phillips is a behemoth. He towers over just about every other player on the ice, and he isn’t afraid to flex it either. He is a mean, physical defender who loves to rough up the opposition forwards.

His overall reach and range with his stick allow him to break up a ton of plays and shut down opposition attacks with ease at times. He is a smothering presence on the ice and is constantly closing gaps and space to make sure his opponents’ lives are a nightmare when he’s out there.

Weaknesses

Lack of skill

To no one’s surprise, Phillips’ biggest weakness is his lack of puck skills. In today’s NHL, the game moves faster than ever. Even for a giant player like Phillips, you need to be able to make the occasional play with the puck to succeed in the modern game. That’s an area he really needs to work on over the coming years.

He tends to crumble under pressure, mishandle the puck, and turn it over. He can have issues executing anything outside of a simple breakout play at times due to his limited puck skills, and while his size makes up for it a lot of the time, that won’t be the case against the best players in the world.

Phillips’ next steps

Phillips will be making the jump to the NCAA next season with the University of Minnesota, a huge step in his development. After spending the last few seasons in the NTDP and USHL, he needed a jump up in competition. The NCAA will allow him to challenge himself against much bigger, faster and stronger opponents.

NHL projection

Ceiling: #5-6 shutdown NHL defender

Likely Outcome: Fringe #7 NHL defender

Floor: AHL depth

NHL timeline projection

Phillips is certainly a project pick. While he possesses the tools to become an NHL player one day, he’s still very raw. He needs to continue to work on his overall game, his discipline, and especially his puck skills. He will likely need to spend at least a couple of seasons in the AHL, much like Yan Kuznetsov, before he’s given a real look in the NHL.

Previous profiles: Honourable Mentions