A Little Story Sneaks Through!

John Carlson is in there...guaranteed.


Here is a story that may have passed you by if you were not reading in depth on Thursday. I was extremely pleased to hear that Colonia, NJ's own John Carlson was signed by the Washington Capitals to a three year entry deal. He was their 1st round (27th pick) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

This is funny but true but I never thought the snot-nosed kid would make it to the NHL but he did have a drive and talent that I saw in me....before the ankle injury of course. If I remember right, USA Skate Zone (whatever it is called now passes my mind) was a frequent hangout for the future Capital. Seeing him grow through the years was pretty cool and I doubt he even remembers me but that does not matter honestly.

A local boy made it....sort of like how cool it was to see Jim Dowd (Brick, NJ) raise the cup. It was great to see Carlson get drafted by the Capitals. Personally I was hoping the Devils would draft him but that was not the case. Rats or something like that! Still a very good thing for New Jersey hockey fans in general.

Now when he went to the Indiana Ice of the USHL....I was skeptical at first admittedly. The link leads you to a little history and everything of the USHL as it stands now. The top junior league team in the United States...it does boast some surprising talent that usually moves up to the OHL or other Canadian Junior League before they get drafted. Carlson was an exception.

For the sake of brevity...Carlson was born in Natick, MA....then moved to New Jersey. So he was not born in New Jersey but really to me at least he is 100% Jersey. In his first full season with the Indiana Ice (last year), Carlson had 43 points in just 59 games. He also had 72 penalty minutes and was a physical presence on the team. At 6 foot 3 and 210 pounds, this sounds odd to say but Carlson could actually pack on another 10-15 pounds or so and it would not affect his skating in the least. That is just the kind of physique he has.

The success has continued for John at the OHL level. In just 12 games with the London Knights, he has 2 goals and 10 assists or a point a game. Honestly it is like he did not miss a beat at all. The only concern could be the schedule later in the season but the Caps had enough faith in him to sign him to an entry level deal now so they must know what they have in him. A solid move by Ted and George to lock John up now. I am sure he will not disappoint.

So Mr. Carlson, I am proud to say I lived all of five minutes from you and got to see some of the development in an NHL prospect and now player...take shape. What an awesome thing indeed!!