Derek MacKenzie (born June 11, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who most notably played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently the Florida Panthers assistant coach. He was drafted 128th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He also played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for Columbus\' and Atlanta\'s farm teams, the Syracuse Crunch and Chicago Wolves respectively. While with the Wolves, MacKenzie was part of a Calder Cup championship team in 2002 and also spent time as the team\'s captain. He set franchise records in career shorthanded goals for both AHL teams. His father, Ken MacKenzie, is the assistant general manager of the Ontario Hockey League\'s Sudbury Wolves.\n', '

MacKenzie began his junior career playing for his hometown Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Following his second season, in which he increased his point production from 20 to 87, he was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fifth round, 128 overall, in the 1999 National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft. In his final season, he registered 40 goals and 89 points leading the Wolves in points and finishing sixth in the OHL. He also finished with a face-off winning percent of 67%, winning both the OHL and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Face-off Awards.\n', '

Following his final season with Sudbury, MacKenzie joined the Thrashers\' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He registered 13 goals and 25 points. He also made his NHL debut for the Thrashers during the season, against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 12, 2002. By season\'s end, the Wolves finished with 86 points and qualified for the playoffs. In the playoffs, MacKenzie helped the Wolves win their first Calder Cup championship. Over the next three seasons, MacKenzie played mainly with the Wolves, helping them back to the Calder Cup finals in 2005. The following season, he was named team captain. In the opening minutes of his first home game as captain, MacKenzie crashed into the opposing team\'s net and broke his ankle. He returned later in the season and helped the Wolves to the franchise\'s 500th win. In the game, MacKenzie scored his third career hat-trick in the 7–3 victory over the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. He finished the season playing 36 games and registering 10 goals and 22 points, while the Wolves finished with 86 points and missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. MacKenzie spent one more season in the Thrashers system before becoming a free agent. He finished his Thrashers career with 2 assists and 20 penalty minutes (PIMs) in 28 NHL games, and 377 games played, 83 goals, and 184 points for Chicago. He also set a franchise record for shorthanded goals with 21.\n', '

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