After being skipped over in the NHL Entry Draft, MacLean signed his first professional contract with the ECHL's Jacksonville Lizard Kings in 1997.

After signing with the Trenton Titans in 1999, MacLean spent most of the remainder of his career with the ECHL, seeing two full seasons of AHL action with the Hershey Bears (2002–03) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2003–04).

He served as the Titans' team captain and led them to the 2001 Kelly Cup finals, where they lost to the South Carolina Stingrays 4 games to 1.

[2] MacLean spent the remainder of his professional career with the Stingrays, leading them to the 2007–08 American Conference finals where they were bested by the Cincinnati Cyclones 4 games to 1.

MacLean led the Stingrays to two Kelly Cup playoff appearances and a 78-48-18 record during his tenure as head coach.