Manitoba’s Carson Carels says being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets would be a dream

When the NHL held the Draft Combine in Buffalo a few weeks back, we heard from a number of the players who are eligible to be selected on Friday night when the first round of the Draft gets underway. One of those players projected to hear his name called in the top 10 is Carson Carels, who is from Cypress River, Manitoba. He is ranked sixth overall in the Elite Prospects consolidated rankings.

The 6-foot-2, left-shot defenceman spent the past two seasons with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League, where he developed into one of the league’s top young blueliners. He is committed to the University of North Dakota next season, where he will continue his development at the NCAA level. When asked about guys going from the CHL to the NCAA when he was at the combine, he indicated:

“I think it’s just another building block to get to the NHL. I mean everyone needs to take steps to get to the NHL. I think the WHL, if you stay there, is a great league and you can do really well, but it’s just another building block to get to another higher level and play against some bigger, older guys and continue working on your game.”

Carels’ view mirrors what many scouts and analysts have said about the growing appeal of NCAA hockey for top CHL prospects. Last month we had TSN’s Craig Button on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show, who spoke about this topic in response to a question I posed about Carels’ move to UND in Grand Forks.

“…when you’ve been as good as they have been in junior hockey you’re looking for that next challenge. And that next challenge now for these players is to keep advancing their game. They can’t go play in the American Hockey League. In my view they are not ready for the NHL, so what is the next step that can help them move along that path? I think the NCAA has offered that path…”

Sharing a similar viewpoint was Shane Malloy of Hockey Prospects Radio, who joined us two weeks back for a chat. “I think it’s a great opportunity for CHL players to go play college hockey. What we didn’t have in hockey for the longest time was a development path similar to baseball. So we didn’t have Single A, Double AA and Triple AAA. Now the CHL, the USHL and junior leagues in Europe are like our Single A and college hockey is our Double AA and AHL is our Triple AAA. So that you have a longer development pathway and a longer runway for these players…”.

While Carels’ long-term focus is on continuing his development at North Dakota and eventually reaching the NHL, the next step in that journey comes this weekend at the NHL Draft. And for the Manitoba product, there is one destination that would hold special meaning.

“…obviously they’re (the Winnipeg Jets) in a range to get me and I think that if I would end up there it would be pretty special and surreal and there would be a lot of happy people.”

He was also asked about what it would mean to join a team with players like Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk.

“Growing up watching them a lot, it was a dream come true when they were in the range right now and you could end up there. Obviously when you jump on a team like that you can learn a lot of things from those guys. It would be a really appreciative thing to go on a team with that, with a guy like Morrissey and learn from him.”

Should the Jets call his name on Friday night, they would be adding one of the top defencemen available in this year’s draft class. Here’s how Button and Malloy describe the player Winnipeg, or whichever NHL club selects him, would be getting.

Button’s assessment of Carels was emphatic: “I think he’s the best defenceman in the draft and there’s good defencemen in this draft. But I think he’s the best defenceman in the draft. His command of the game, his ability to play every single situation is phenomenal.”

Malloy said of Carels: “He has the capability of producing offence but stout, mean, hardworking defenceman who, again, very similar to (Daxon) Rudolph is going to be capable of matching up against top lines, particularly on the road. He can be on a number one penalty kill, he can be on a power play unit and play 25+ minutes a game as well. Bomb for a shot and tough as nails.”

For now, Carels can only wait for the draft to unfold. Whether he lands in Winnipeg or elsewhere, the Manitoba product is poised to take the next step in his hockey journey. But if the Jets call his name on Friday night, it would make the moment even more special, giving him the opportunity to begin his NHL career close to home.