‘He’s a monster’: Meet Carson Carels, the small-town kid chasing the NHL Draft spotlight
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – There seems to be a farm-to-top-NHL-prospect pipeline brewing.
Last year, it was Nashville Predators draft pick Brady Martin. His family owns a dairy farm around Elora, Ont., with more than 60,000 chickens and well over 200 cows.
Next up? Defenseman Carson Carels. His family’s farm business in Cypress River, Man., is home to over 500 cattle, with a big focus on beef. Carels takes great pride in his upbringing – the work ethic alone gives him a big boost on the ice.
What’s Carels’ job back home?
“A bit of everything,” he said, with a smile following Day 4 of Canada’s World Junior training camp in Niagara Falls. “But a daily thing would be just checking all the cows. And if we have new cows, we have to tag them and give them everything they need. In the summer, it’s a lot of haying. So there’s a lot of time on the tractor.”
How does he balance off-season skating and farming?
“As soon as I wake up, I’ve got to check the cows. But after that, you go to the ice, work out and then you check again. The farm comes first in the summer and then training after. Once the animals are happy, I’m happy.”
I've been impressed with Carson Carels (@eliteprospects #11) physicality this year. He's in the conversation as one of the best defenders available after Verhoeff in this year's draft. He's explosive, agile, and aggressive, both in how he defends and activates. #2026NHLDraft
When he was rolling around peacefully on a quiet Manitoba morning in July, there was no way he could have envisioned himself on Canada’s World Junior team. Heck, he didn’t think it was a possibility this time a month ago, either. It wasn’t until Carels (pronounced Carls) had a pair of strong performances at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge late last month that he even realized he was on Hockey Canada’s radar.
“My coaches told me I was in the mix,” Carels said. “We just won in overtime (on Dec. 7), and my coach told me to stick by my phone. I kind of knew at that point, but as soon as I got the call, about 10 minutes after the game, I heard from (GM Alan Millar) and was really happy about it.”
For now, Carels looks to have made the final team, unless San Jose loans out Sam Dickinson. Even then, Carels should be safe. So, assuming nothing changes, he’ll be one of three Canadian 2026 NHL Draft prospects headed to Minnesota alongside Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff.
Carels, a projected top-10 pick, isn’t worried about the draft chatter.
“I just like to stay in contact with home,” Carels said. “Just going back to where you’re from and talking to all those people, that takes your mind off all this draft stuff.”
The Prince George Cougars become the third team in the WHL to reach the 20 win plateau. Carson Carels is the OT hero. What a player.
But for those who get paid to watch Carels closely, they love what they’re seeing. The 6-foot-2 Prince George Cougars blueliner has 29 points in 28 games for a full-season pace of 69. His defensive awareness, two-way skill, strong physique and high-end hockey sense make him one of the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft class. Some scouts think he could be the second defender off the board behind Verhoeff.
But Carels is taking this one step at a time. Right now, he’s focused on chasing gold – something he did back in May at the U-18 World Championship in Texas. He also took home silver at the 2024 U-17 World Challenge, and bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup back in August. So Hockey Canada is very familiar with Carels’ game, even at a young age.
Carels has played 22 minutes a night or more in every single WHL game this year. He has already surpassed the 30-minute mark eight times. That’s incredible pressure to put on a 17-year-old, but few can handle it as well as Carels does.
“He’s a monster,” one scout said. “He plays with so much poise and confidence. He makes it look as effortless as anyone we’ve seen in recent draft memory.”
Whether Carels makes the final roster won’t change how scouts view Carels. They know he can take over games in so many different ways. He doesn’t need to score to be valuable. He’ll shut down just about anyone with ease. But scouts want him in Minnesota – they think he’ll make Canada even more lethal.
If Carels does make the team, he’ll become the sixth youngest blueliner to suit up for Canada at 17 years, six months and four days old (about three months older than Matthew Schaefer a year ago). Canada is set to make one cut before heading to Minnesota on Dec. 22 – but if San Jose loans out Sam Dickinson, it could make two. For now, Carels is preoccupied with doing the best he can to make Canada’s decision that much more difficult.
Cypress River has sent just one player to the NHL – former Chicago Blackhawks forward Florent Robidoux. He played 52 games, tallying seven goals, 11 points and 75 penalty minutes. The population estimate for Cypress River is somewhere around 175. That’s not even enough for a local youth hockey league. Instead, they’re most known as a passing reference in a Neil Young song from 20 years ago.
But soon enough, the hockey world will know all about the small-town kid with big-city hockey dreams.
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