Making The Case: Carson Carels
Carels’s rise in the rankings could leave him out of reach, but he would be a phenomenal addition to the Rangers prospect pool.
If you had asked me a month ago, I would have told you that Carson Carels should without question be the player the Rangers took at fifth overall. Based on how the draft was expected to play out, the chances were high that most of the big name forwards would be taken between first and fourth overall, with Chase Reid going somewhere in that middle of that, as well.
Now, the hype around Carels is growing. For whatever it’s worth, he was one of the first—if not the first—prospect the San Jose Sharks (who pick second overall) took out to dinner at the Draft Combine. For teams like San Jose, and even the Vancouver Canucks or Chicago Blackhawks that need help on defense, Carels very well could be high on the priority list.
Carels is ranked third on NHL Central Scouting’s North American list, both Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic have him ranked seventh, and Tankathon has him going sixth.
Player Information
One of the first things that really stood out to me about Carels was his abilities as an all-around defenseman. You want him to be an effective two-way defenseman at 5-v-5? Check. You want him to run the power play? Check. How about kill penalties? Check. His compete level is there, his instincts are solid, he has a hard shot from the point, he can contribute offense, make plays, moves the puck extraordinarily well, skates just as well, and has all the tools to become a franchise’s top defenseman and a future leader.
All of this made me pencil him in as a Matthew Schaefer-lite. Will he have an immediate impact the way Schaefer did? Probably not. But long term will they at least be comparable players? There’s certainly a solid chance.
In 60 games played in his first full season in the WHL, Carels scored six goals and assisted on 29 for 35 points as a rookie. This most recent season, he picked up 20 goals and 53 assists for 73 points in 58 games. That’s pretty impressive for a 17-year-old. Across ten playoff games with the Cougars, Carels picked up a goal and nine assists, leaving him on a point-per-game pace. Unfortunately, the Cougars ran into some trouble in the second round as they fell to the Penticton Veels. Carels was a standout at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, which earned him the opportunity to play with Canada at the World Juniors. Carels will join fellow top prospect Keaton Verhoeff, as well as Rangers prospect EJ Emery at the University of North Dakota this fall.
