FAST TRACK MAC: Anchorage hockey sensation Mac Swanson continues to excel at every level

Mac Swanson's 2022 ice hockey season is pretty much set. The USHL's Fargo Force had the rights to the 16-year-old Anchorage forward but planned to send him to a lower-level junior program in Michigan, believing he would benefit from another year of experience.

That was until the Force's hockey staff saw Swanson on the ice.

A few days after the team's summer camp, Force general manager Cary Eades spoke by phone with Mac's father, Brian.

“He came to our camp in June of that year and wowed us,” Eades said. “I told Brian, 'Remember all the talk about the slow trajectory? Forget it. I want him to play for us next year.'”

That camp was Swanson's introduction into the hockey spotlight, and he has thrived at every level since.

He quickly established himself as an essential playmaker on the team's top line: one season later, he led the Force to a Clark Cup title, was named playoff MVP, and was named the USHL's Player of the Year.

It's not the first time Swanson has defied convention, and it probably won't be the last. At 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, Swanson's size has been a source of debate and reason for skepticism in some parts of the hockey world.

But doubters are having a harder time stopping Swanson than the defenders on the ice.

“He continues to prove people wrong,” Eades said.

“Perfect fit”

Though Swanson performed well on the ice in his first season with the Force, the move was a big change. For a 16-year-old more than 2,000 miles from home, the personal and social aspects of junior hockey were an adjustment, as was the level of play. The USHL is considered the best junior hockey league in the country, with a roster full of future Division I players and NHL draft picks.

“When you join at 16, you're playing against players up to 21 years old,” Swanson said. “It's a little different than under-14 or under-15 hockey, where you're playing against players your same age.”

Although he felt homesick at times, he credited his team and his parents for making his adjustment to the new league as smooth as possible.

Swanson was listed as 5-foot-7 and weighed just under 160 pounds during his first season and wore a full face shield rather than the simpler one worn by older players and generally preferred.

“It was pretty interesting for sure,” he said. “They obviously knew I was younger and it was definitely a struggle to adjust to the first month or two. It's pretty tough going up against guys that are a lot bigger and stronger than you.”

But Swanson overcame the challenges and landed an ideal position in his first year with the Force, playing with talented linemates Cole Knoble and Anchorage native Brett Link. Knoble was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2023 and will play at Notre Dame, while Link skates at Colorado.

Swanson had 12 goals and 43 assists in his first year, and the Force were USHL regular season champions, won the Anderson Cup and advanced to the league championship before losing to Youngstown in the Clark Cup final.

“It was a perfect fit for me,” Swanson said of his linemate. “(Linc) was four years older than me, so I didn't know him that well growing up, but we still hang out together in the summer and play golf together. You don't get a chance to play with Alaskans that often, so it was a really cool experience playing with him.”

This winter, his second season with the Force, represented a new challenge: He was 17 when the season began, still young by league standards, but he was tasked with creating more for himself rather than just making assist plays for his teammates.

He answered the challenge again, leading the league with 51 assists and scoring 26 goals to finish third overall in points, and his momentum continued in the playoffs, with 17 points, seven ahead of the next highest scorer.

“He's really worked on improving throughout the season and continued that improvement in the playoffs, which is the toughest time of the year to be effective offensively,” Force head coach Brett Skinner said.

One of those is improving his shooting, which Eades said has become Swanson's No. 1 priority.

“His shooting has improved a lot this year,” Eades said. “He's scored from outside the hash marks, which I don't think he was able to do (his freshman year), but, you know, we have extra ice available during the day, so he's taken advantage of that and off the ice he's gone to our shooting station and he's constantly working on his game.”

Meanwhile, Swanson continued to excel at yet another level of international competition, playing successfully for the U.S. at the U-17 Five Nations Tournament in late summer 2022. In early December 2022, he played in six games at the World Junior A Challenge, recording one goal and four assists and helping the U.S. win the gold medal.

[Previously: Anchorage’s Mac Swanson proving he belongs playing on an international stage at Five Nations Tournament]

In 2023, he recorded four points in four games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and caught attention at the World Junior Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, where his nine assists were a tournament record and he earned himself the honor of being Team USA's top scorer-tied with 11 points in six games.

“It's pretty special to put on the USA jersey,” Swanson said, “I don't take it for granted because it could be the last time, so anytime I get to represent the USA, I don't want to miss that opportunity.”

Eads said that mindset has helped Swanson continue to win against some of the best players in the world at his age and has also boosted his reputation in the hockey world.

“After that (World Junior) experience, both head coaches called me and said, 'I had no idea Mac Swanson was that good,'” Eades said.

“I don't know if I've ever seen a better passer.”

It's often said that Swanson doesn't have the ideal build, but he's used other plays to become a good two-way player, and his versatile skillset includes excellent passing and what Eades calls “elite hockey sense.”

“He's one of those quarterbacks who can see three or four tiers of passes,” Eades said. “Everyone can see the obvious first tier, but some of the best players can see the second tier. He can see the third and fourth tiers. I've been in the game for over 40 years as a coach and GM, and I don't know if I've ever seen a better passer.”

Skinner said Swanson's technique is impressive, but his feel for the game, tenacity and ability to control the pace will take him to the next level.

“It's the intangibles that separate him from other players: his work ethic, his drive, his determination and, above all, his hockey sense,” Skinner says. “Part of the criticism of his skating is that he plays at a different speed than other players. In today's mindset, you just want to go as fast as you can. He has good top-end speed, he's explosive and he's a good skater, but he can also slow the game down. It's a bit of an illusion sometimes.”

Swanson has good hockey genes in him. His father, Brian, was also a USHL star and a collegiate star at the University of Colorado. He played in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and Atlanta Thrashers and eventually retired from professional hockey as captain of the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. But Mac Swanson has worked hard over the past few offseasons to improve his game and overall fitness.

“I think I've always had really good hockey sense, but obviously as far as passing and shooting and all the technique, I worked really hard over the summer,” Swanson said. “It's a gradual improvement, but I think it's really paid off the last few years.”

Swanson, 18, will attend the University of North Dakota in the fall to play for one of the nation's top Division I hockey teams, and said he felt “right at home” when he visited campus and that the school's passionate fan base has him excited to join the program.

Eads is himself a former UND player and coach and has close ties to the Fighting Hawks' hockey staff.

“I told the coaching staff, 'Put him with the scorers and don't expect him to play like a typical freshman,'” Eades said. “And they know that. They've seen a lot of him this year, but, you know, he's a freshman, but he's not going to play like a freshman and he's going to be a great addition to our lineup.”

Skinner said the NCHC is an incredibly tough conference with some of the best teams and talent in the nation, but he said Swanson's ability to make his teammates better and play in a variety of situations will help him with the transition.

Swanson is ready for a new challenge.

“It's not going to be easy because it's a really strong conference and we're playing strong teams every weekend,” Swanson said, “but I'm really looking forward to being a University of North Dakota hockey player and everything that comes with it. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Of course, it's not all going to be easy, but I'm excited.”

More than 200 players will be drafted in seven rounds by 32 teams in this weekend's NHL draft. Swanson is draft-eligible and is ranked in the top 100 by several organizations that track and evaluate prospects.

Swanson said he has spoken with a number of teams in the NHL but isn't focused on results.

“I don't put too much pressure or expectations on myself and I just let it happen as it's not something I can control,” he said.

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Skinner said size remains an important criterion among NHL front offices and there's a chance Swanson could be overlooked during the draft process, but regardless of the outcome this weekend, Skinner believes Swanson will eventually play professionally.

“We'll see where he ends up, but I'll obviously be rooting for him on draft day,” he said. “At the end of the day, he's going to be a professional hockey player and have a long professional career. Depending on how he approaches it day to day and how he thinks about it, he'll have a chance to go pro one day.”

Until that happens, Skinner expects Swanson to continue to be the type of player who makes everyone around him better, just like his teammate from his days in Fargo.

“I have a weird feeling that a lot of (Swanson's University of North Dakota teammates) are going to be knocking on the coach's door asking if they can bring this young kid to play with them,” he said.