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Mackenzie Blackwood's OHL career appears to have reached its end.

There had been a lot of speculation about whether Blackwood would turn pro this season but Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald put that to rest at development camp.

Via FireAndIce:

First off, as noted earlier, assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald said the plan is for goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, 19, a second round pick in 2015, to turn pro this season. Blackwood turns 20 on Dec. 9, so he would be eligible to play for Albany (AHL) this season.

This seems like the right move for Blackwood given where he is at in his development.

Blackwood improved his save percentage and shutout totals each year since he cracked the Barrie Colts' roster in 2013-14 and is coming off a spectacular season that earned him OHL Goaltender of the Year honors.

Blackwood went 28-13-0 while posting a 2.72 goals against average and a .921 save percentage, which tied him for the league lead.

He also earned a spot on Team Canada's World Junior team with his performance, although a suspension that cost him a couple starts in the preliminary round seemed to throw his tournament off the rails.

If Blackwood returned to Barrie this upcoming season he'd be on a team about to embrace a full rebuild. As such, being uprooted from Barrie and traded elsewhere was probably inevitable.

I don't think that is something that interests Blackwood and, given he has nothing left to prove at the OHL level, it makes sense to turn pro now.

Barring Scott Wedgewood beating out Keith Kinkaid for the backup job, which could happen, Blackwood will probably split time with Wedgewood in Albany.

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