Mace’o Phillips

May 2026 – Mace’o Phillips was a beast on the ice in the USHL as he returned for his third season. across 44 games, he scored once and added 10 assists, equally split between secondary and primary. Though the offensive output was his best in his USHL career, this is not where one should look for Phillips to make his mark.

He sat third in the league for PIMs, although his 187 was 12 behind the leader who played seven extra games. He threw more than two hits per game, and added just less than one block and two shots per game.

As Phillips heads to the NCAA next season, there is still a lot of development and growth needed in his game before we can be certain of his fantasy value. At just 19 years old, he stands 6-6 and 234 lbs, so he has the imposing frame of a bruising blue-liner, and his stat line thus far shows that is his archetype. Dynasty managers whose league’s track the categories Phillips is proficient in should claim him now to stash while we get a better indication whether his development curve will see him dominate the AHL or skate regular shifts in the NHL. Too soon to be certain, but now’s the time to invest. Alex Wyatt

August 2025 – Every great draft has a whiff or two, and considering the kind of talent available at 80th – Phillips fits that mold for Calgary’s 2025 class. Phillips is an aggressive, intensely physical defensive defenseman who can chase down a play better than he can anticipate one. Given his output of six points through 60 NTDP games, his upside is limited to a third-pairing role with situational usage.

Where this pick loses me is there was a lot of upside on the table, and the Flames are in need of high-end forwards in their current NHL top six. Cameron Schmidt, 5-8, was taken by Dallas at 94 overall. The undersized right winger was a leading scorer among draft eligibles in the WHL – with 78 points in 61 games, including 40 goals. Another forward with hidden potential was taken one spot ahead of Schmidt, at 93 overall by Ottawa. Blake Vanek – son of former NHLer Tomas Vanek – absolutely obliterated the high school circuit, stands at 6-4, and is expected to play in the WHL next year.

Instead, they selected a player with a projectable role but limited offensive impact in Phillips. Although a thunderous hit or sneaky cross-check by Phillips could spark offense from his teammates. Arden McLeod

June 2025 – Selected 80th overall, Mace’o Phillips is now a member of the Calgary Flames. Mark Henry

June 2025 —Phillips may not have stuffed the ‘points’ section of the scoresheet, but if you move over a few columns, you’ll see that he certainly stuffed the PIMs section. Some players rack up penalties by being dirty. Others are just so physically overpowering that they can’t help it. Phillips is the former.

Phillips is bigger and heavier than just about every other player in this class. He throws huge hits, cross-checks like prime Ben Chiarot, and envelops opposing carriers along the wall. He only had 6 points in 60 games, so I wouldn’t expect much from him offensively. However, NHL teams have shown that they’re willing to pay through the nose to acquire these types of players at the trade deadline; why not grow one at home?—Luke Sweeney