Through two major suspensions in the OHL and AHL (one for a hit on Max Domi, the other for play above on Matt Bailey), numerous fights, chirps, and hits that skirt the line of legally acceptable, the 21-year old has already garnered quite the reputation.
However, beneath the heavy hits and fisticuffs, there is a talented and developing defenseman in Ontario whose stock is slowly rising.
In 2012 the Los Angeles Kings signed the then Owen Sound Attack rear guard as a free agent. He left a lot to be desired on the offensive side of the puck, but his nasty, physical style and growing size still made him an intriguing, fringey player to take a chance on. In 2014-15, in his final overage season in Juniors, MacDermid took off. A midseason deal in 2013-14 landed him in Erie, but the Otters did not start seeing the reward until the following season. His point totals went from 19 to 40 over the course of one season on his new team. And yes, he was still as physically dominant and nasty as ever.
Enter 2015-16. The 21-year old entered the Kings' development and training camps with numerous players ahead of him on the defensive depth chart. Aside from NHL/AHL tweeners like Forbort and Jeff Schultz, there were players like Nick Ebert, Vincent LoVerde, Kevin Gravel and Kevin Raine. All of which had established themselves as AHL regulars or hopeful AHL regulars in the coming season. Then add into the mix some talented and anticipated newcomers like Zac Leslie and Alex Lintuniemi. It would be easy to simply look at the depth chart and say that MacDermid was potentially ECHL bound to start the year.
Fast forward to when opening night hit on October 10th against the Bakersfield Condors. It was Kurtis MacDermid who slotted into the starting roster. As unexpected as that seemed at the time, he has yet to be a healthy scratch for coach Mike Stothers, and has dressed every eligible game outside of his suspension. When you watch him game to game, it is hard to say it has not been earned. The young blueliner looks calm defensively, assertive off the puck, and he can make a few plays with the puck as well. It is not all just grit and heavy hits. When asked about his roster regularity in his rookie season, "It's been good. I'm excited every game. I just work on getting better every day, coming in and getting better day in and day out and playing a better all-around game."
In recent stretches of games paired up with captain Vincent LoVerde, he has started to press the 20-minute mark in time on ice. He is currently third amongst Reign defensemen in scoring with 10 points in 34 games, and also (for whatever it is worth) leads the team in plus-minus with a plus-18 rating.
With very little expectation coming into this season, MacDermid has been a pleasant surprise. His aggressive game and style just seems to fit what the Reign and Stothers want, "As a D-corp and as a team we always try to preach that, and not let them enter the zone with possession. It's just our style of game as a team. Playing aggressive is something I put a lot into too because I'm a bigger guy and I want to bring that to the game as well. I can do that with my bigger body."
Even though MacDermid was a bit slimmer and smaller in his junior days (6'3ish, maybe 180), he has beefed up to a hulking 6'5 and a listed 210. This, however, has come with its own set of difficulties when it comes to hitting and overall physical play. Even after his big suspension on Gulls Forward Matt Bailey, it does not seem the aggression has toned down, but it does seem to be more measured, "I think it is just playing my game, trying to keep my arms down as much as possible. Being a bigger guy, it's a bit tougher with some of the guys in this league who are smaller than me. It's just one thing I have to keep in the back of my mind." When asked if it changed the mindset of his physical game at all, MacDermid responded, "Yea for sure, I mean I have to adjust anytime it is a smaller guy so I don't take a penalty and put the team down."
If there has been one consistent struggle with the Sauble Beach, Ontario native this year it has been his frequent vacation time in the penalty box. He currently leads the Reign in penalty minutes with 87. With five fights on the docket (25 minutes), that leaves a healthy 62 minutes in penalties that may have put his team down a man. Be it from a combination of his towering physical stature, the speed of the game, and his edgy play, MacDermid realizes how difficult it can be to stay out of the box, "The game is fast now and they are calling a lot more stuff. I just have to make sure I have good body position between the guy and the net. Free hand is always tough, but you just gotta do your best."
Maybe what is most surprising from him this season is the developing ability to put pucks on net. While he has only 38 shots on net in his 34 games, there has been a noted uptick in his past 10 games. He has had 18 shots on goal and has generated numerous tips and deflections from the point. "Ya know we work after every practice as a D-corp in getting shots through from the point. That's always a big thing. That's what our forwards want us to do because they are driving the net and that creates chances. If there is a lane to the net, get it to the net. If you have to maybe go wide to get it through, then you have to put it wide sometimes."
There is a lot of developing facets to MacDermid's game and coach Stothers, as always, had some gems about his game.
"He’s been good. He’s got so much passion in his game. He’s a great teammate. For a big guy who’s probably trying to convince people that it’s not all just big and brawn and strong and tough, he can actually play. He makes some real nice plays, passes, good reads. Every once in a while he gets caught because he’s so eager to make a big hit he might get caught. He’s pretty reliable. He’s pretty dependable and he’s a big man. When he’s on the ice the other team’s not so anxious to get him wound up. That makes everybody else on our team be able to play a little bit bigger."
There is still the delicate balance to be preserved though with his game when he gets "Wound up". With a wry smile, Stothers added "Depends on the game and depends on my mood. Sometimes I like when he’s a little worked up. But that’s something he has to learn..." Stothers also added that the leadership group, notably MacDermid's partner LoVerde, has been good in keeping his young partner in check, "Vinny is a good veteran guy who says, “hey, now’s not the time.” You’ve got to know the clock, you’ve got to know the game, you’ve got to know the situation. There’s a time and a place for everything."
Overall, he has been one of the major surprises this season. Coming in as a free agent signee on a pipeline that is defensively jammed, the former Owen Sound and Erie defenseman has earned his spot largely by flying under the radar but being an intense in your face player on the ice. There is just something to him when you watch him play. Maybe it is the aggression, the passion, the all-out nature of his game, but there is definitely something to him. He is active, he is noticeable, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. That balance may be something he has to work at for some time to achieve without impacting the good things in his game. From a technical standpoint he makes good reads, steps up well on players, doesn't get caught out of position much, and moves the puck out of his zone pretty well.
Sheng Peng managed to get an excellent quote from Kings Director of Player Development Nelson Emerson on MacDermid in his half season report (which, again, is a must read) that sums up a lot about the 21-year old,
The kid's driven. He's a kid that has maybe turned a lot of heads this year with his play. Give him credit. He's going to do whatever he can to be an NHL'er, and that's what's awesome about him. He tries as hard as he can, and he's really moved up himself in a lot of people's eyes.
I got a lot of respect for him. Never count that kid out. Cause he's just starting, he's going to get a lot better. He's...becoming a great pro in this league. He's young and determined...he's just going to continue to keep going upward.
Kurtis, as do most young players, sees room for development in his own game moving forward, "[Working on] Footwork and quickness have always been a thing with me being a bigger guy. That's probably the biggest thing. The other thing, well, I just have to keep working on ALL parts of my game, and hopefully everything will fall into place."
He may not be an Adrian Kempe or Michael Mersch of the Kings system, but MacDermid's high octane play has turned heads this season. There is good, there is bad, there is edginess, passion, and tenacity. All of these things have added up to him being an important, regular defenseman for the Reign this season, and one of the surprises of the year on the roster and in the Kings' pipeline.
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