Mason Shaw (born November 3, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and player for the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 97th overall by the Wild in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
Growing up, Shaw played with the Lloydminster Universal Heat of the Alberta Major Bantam League and the Midget AAA Lloydminster Baker Hughes Bobcats of the Alberta Elite Hockey League. During the 2012–13 season, Shaw tallied a team-leading 66 assists and 20 goals for 86 points through 31 games. He was subsequently named a First Team All-Star in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League. Shaw played the 2013–14 season with the Bobcats where he finished second in the league in scoring with 17 goals and 33 assists through 31 games and won the Trevor Linder award as the league's Top Forward. His offensive abilities resulted in him being drafted in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft.
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Early life
Shaw was born on November 3, 1998, in Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada, to parents Aaron and Lindsay. He grew up in Wainwright, Alberta where he helped his family on their cattle farm. As a child, Shaw was a fan of the Edmonton Oilers and specifically admired Ales Hemsky.
Playing career
Amateur
Growing up, Shaw played with the Lloydminster Universal Heat of the Alberta Major Bantam League and the Midget AAA Lloydminster Baker Hughes Bobcats of the Alberta Elite Hockey League. In his first year with the Heat, Shaw scored seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points through 28 games during the 2011–12 season. He later improved to a team-leading 66 assists and 20 goals for 86 points through 31 games. Shaw was subsequently named a 1st Team All-Star in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League. During his second season with the Heat, Shaw was one of six players selected to represent Team Northeast at the 2013 U16 Alberta Cup where helped them win the 2013 ATB Alberta Cup. Shaw was eventually drafted in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft. He participated in the Tigers training camp but was reassigned to the Baker Hughes Bobcats before the final roster was announced. After being reassigned, Shaw competed in the 2013 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup in Calgary where he won a gold medal with Team Alberta.
Shaw played the 2013–14 season with the Bobcats where he finished second in the league in scoring with 17 goals and 33 assists through 31 games and won the Trevor Linder award as the league's Top Forward. He subsequently made his major junior hockey debut with the Tigers in the 2014–15 season. During the pre-season, Shaw was tied for 4th in league scoring with one goal and seven assists for eight points. His offensive progress continued into the regular season as he helped the Tigers maintain a 4-1-0-0 record to start the season while also leading the team in penalty minutes with nine. Shaw eventually scored his first career WHL goal in his sixth WHL game on October 3 to help the Tigers beat the Saskatoon Blades 8–1. He later missed a few games while competing for Team Canada Red at the World U17 Hockey Challenge and even more due to an injury. He required season-ending surgery after playing only 23 games and accumulating nine points and 13 penalty minutes.
Shaw recovered from his surgery and returned to the Tigers for the 2015–16 season, in which he collected 60 points through 67 games. While playing on a line with Chad Butcher, Shaw's 60 points ranked him second on the team while he also co-received the Tigers Defensive Player Award and Hardest Working Award. Following his breakout season, Shaw was selected to Team Canada's 23-player preliminary roster for the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships. Shaw tallied one goal and six assists during the tournament to rank fourth in scoring among WHL players.
Professional
Having rehabilitated his injury he was signed by the Wild's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on an amateur tryout agreement to end the season. He subsequently made his professional debut on April 10, 2018, in a 2–1 win over the Rockford IceHogs. Shaw was then signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild on April 27. Following the signing, Shaw returned to the Traverse City Prospect Tournament where he was named an assistant captain. The Wild prospects ended the tournament with a 3–1–0 record, their best record since 2010. After the tournament, Shaw participated in the Wild's training camp but was reassigned to their AHL affiliate on September 22 to begin the 2018–19 season. Shaw made an immediate impact in the AHL by recording three points in their first two games. By the end of October, Shaw was tied with Luke Kunin and Cal O'Reilly for lead scorer with seven points. He continued to produce throughout the following months and entered December tied for second among all rookies in assists with 13 and tied for 10th in points. Throughout the season, Shaw developed into an effective centerman between Kyle Rau and Matt Read and played on the Wild's top line. Shaw finished his rookie season becoming the third rookie in franchise history to play in every regular season game. During the 76-game stretch, he tallied eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points. As the Iowa Wild qualified for the 2019 Calder Cup playoffs, he added one goal in three playoff games before suffering another ACL injury in Game 3.
Shaw spent the 2019 offseason recovering from the ACL injury and was expected to return to the Iowa Wild lineup by New Year's. He eventually made his 2019–20 season debut on January 17, 2020, against the San Jose Barracuda. He scored his first goal of the season later in early February, marking his first regular season goal since April 23, 2019. His return was short-lived however as the AHL suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2020. Once sports leagues resumed play for the 2020–21 season, Shaw rejoined the Iowa Wild following an unsuccessful NHL training camp. Although he was later named to Minnesota's Taxi Squad, Shaw was selected to serve as an alternate captain for the Iowa Wild during their 2020–21 campaign. Shaw played in the AHL for the duration of the 2020–21 season, accumulating eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points through 30 games to tie for third on the team in scoring.
After being made a qualifying offer by the Wild, Shaw signed a two-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $750,000 at the NHL level on August 17, 2021. Following the signing, the Iowa Wild announced Shaw would again serve as an alternate captain for the team during their 2021–22 season. Shaw tallied 14 points through the Wild's first 18 games before receiving his first recall to the NHL on December 5, 2021. He subsequently made his NHL debut a few days later, recording two shots on goal in 10:38 of ice time in a 5–2 win over the San Jose Sharks on December 9, 2021. He played in one more game before being returned to the Iowa Wild. Upon returning to the AHL, Shaw recorded his first career AHL hat-trick in a 4–3 win over the Manitoba Moose on January 19, 2022. He completed his fourth season with the Iowa Wild by being named the recipient of the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) Player Representative of the Year Award for the 2021–22 season.