One thing to know right away about Mason Marchment – he doesn’t do “hugs.”
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Oh, he’s more than capable of public displays of exuberance. Marchment’s cellys are the stuff of legend. (See photo below.) It’s just when he embraces a teammate after a victory, it’s not called a hug. It’s known as a Smush. A Mush Smush.
Marchment’s nickname of “Mush” is a family legacy. His dad was nicknamed “Mush.” His granddad was nicknamed “Mush.”
Speaking of dad, the late Bryan Marchment played 17 NHL seasons for nine different teams. Bryan’s toxic reputation was built on 13 suspensions and 2,307 career penalty minutes, including 313 PIMs in 1992-93 for the Blackhawks.
“He’s a real nice guy off the ice,” his son once explained. “My dad’s pretty laid back. He doesn’t give me a lot of advice.” (Calgary Herald)
Kraken Acquired Marchment ‘For Pennies On The Dollar’
The above quote comes from online hockey personality and author Steve Dangle, who as you can tell, is effusive in his praise for the trade pulled off June 19 by Seattle general manager Jason Botterill.
“This is a no-brainer move. Marchment scored at a 29 goal pace. The leading goal scorer on the Seattle Kraken had 26. He’s big. He’s an enormous jerk. He puts up points. He’s right in his prime (having turned 30 in June).
“Ideally he helps you get better and make the playoffs, in which case a third and a fourth is more than worth it. If you end up not being in the playoff picture, imagine what you get for this guy at the deadline. He’s going for at least a first.”
Making Up For Lost Time
An unofficial nickname often attached to Mason Marchment is “Late Bloomer.” He didn’t start playing junior hockey until age 19. Marchment was undrafted in junior, and was undrafted again by all the NHL teams.
But boy, has he made up for lost time. “My dad always said, ‘Being drafted is not a big thing. Whoever works hard, gets there.'” An early highlight was scoring the winning goal for the Toronto Marlies in Game 7 of the 2018 Calder Cup Finals. Still, Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star projected Marchment as “a bottom-6 forward at the NHL level” in 2019.
Even Marchment had doubts. After scoring his first NHL goal for the Florida Panthers on March 5, 2021 – at age 25 – he admitted, “I never thought it would happen.” (Miami Herald) The Panthers were impressed enough to protect Marchment from Seattle in the Kraken’s 2021 expansion draft.
Marchment rewarded their confidence with a two goal, four assist performance against Columbus on Jan. 31, 2022. Three games later came his first career hat trick in a victory over Minnesota. The projected bottom-6 forward was now promoted to Florida’s top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe.
“He’s an important piece to our team,” said Verhaeghe. “He’s so strong on the puck, so strong on his stick, and has a really good shot and seems to find good areas.” Coach Andrew Brunette said, “He brings a dimension that not a lot of our players have.”
The Mason Marchment Experience
About that “dimension.” In hockey-speak, Marchment plays “on the edge.” Or as Dangle put it, “An enormous jerk.” Mason explained to the Associated Press, “I just try to get in the other team’s face and score some goals while I’m at it.”
The 6-foot-4, 212 pound forward is a villain at enemy rinks, as Robert Tiffin wrote at StarsThoughts.com. “Mason Marchment, who opposing fans love to point to any time their blood boils and they need to find a reason why Dallas’ team is less ethical than their own.”
Marchment brought that combustible mix to Dallas in 2022, signing a four year, $18 million free agent contract with the Stars. Like anyone who lives on the edge, sometimes he falls over. One Dallas hockey writer called this “The Mason Marchment Experience.”
D Magazine described the Yin and Yang on display in Game 3 of the Stars’ 2025 opening round playoff series against Colorado. “Marchment opening up Brock Nelson’s face in the final minute of regulation with a stick that was more careless than foolish (a double minor that extended into overtime), only to show more poise on his skates than you could have imagined to set up Tyler Seguin for the overtime winner.”
Dallas Media Reactions To Losing Marchment
Dallas Morning News: “He prides himself on retrieving pucks, on possessing the puck, on exiting the defensive zone with possession. He likes to forecheck, to create pressure and open ice for his skilled linemates.”
Blackout Dallas: “Marchment was a great teammate and even a better person. The Stars needed to get Marchment’s contract off the books. He will do well with the Seattle Kraken as he will bring experience and physicality to their lineup.” Marchment with the Kraken has one season remaining on a $4.5 million AAV contract.
THN: “His bruising style and flair for the dramatic are part of what drive him to be a valuable asset.”
Stars Thoughts: “He scored some big goals for Dallas, but injuries were a big part of his story in his first and third Dallas seasons (he needed surgery to repair a shattered nose). His final season would be his best, as he scored 47 points in just 62 games, including 22 goals for the second straight year.
“Seguin and Duchene both said that Marchment was the ideal F1, the first forechecker down the ice who used his reach, strength, and tenacity to win pucks you would never expect most players to win, setting up dangerous offensive-zone possession.”
Defending Big D: “Points took a backseat to the frequent penalties Marchment seemed to commit, especially come playoff time, in which Marchment averaged nearly a penalty every other game across three deep playoff runs with Dallas. It was the price that came with playing a more physical, aggressive game compared to most of his teammates, although at some point calls were largely reputation-based.”
Skating Coach Made World Of Difference
Mason credits much of his development to a female power skating coach, Barb Underhill. (As it happens, the Kraken have their own female former power skating guru, assistant coach Jessica Campbell.) “She never thought we would get to here,” the forward told NHLPA.com. “Once we started working, she realized that I really wanted to get better. She said, ‘As long as you’re working hard out here, I’ll never give up on you.’”
According to Marchment, Underhill, a past world champion figure skater, greatly improved his edge work. In this case, Mason was referring to his skating. The rest of his considerable edge, he’s perfected all on his own.