(Adam Carlson, via Sarah Hobday)

Caps goalie prospect, Adam Carlson, spent one year at Mercyhurst before signing with the Capitals as an undrafted free agent. That year, the Caps scouting department saw a majority of his starts, and got information from his coaches on the type of guy he was. The organization thought he was a good fit so he spent the 2016-17 season with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. Carlson posted a 9-11-1 record with a 2.97 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Those numbers are not particularly excellent, but a lot of that was due to an injury that derailed his season.

“[It was the] first time I really had an injury during the season. I wasn’t a very good pro about it, in terms of getting on the ice. You live and you learn. I got away from doing good habits in practice” said Carlson.

During his rough stretch, Parker Milner took over the Stingrays net and excelled. Milner posted a 26-14-2 record and had a GAA of 2.72 and a .900 save percentage. Milner, 26, has been a pro since 2013 when he broke into the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder. Carlson looked up to Milner a lot this year.

“[Milner] is the kind of guy who shows up to the rink every day, and trusts the process. I can’t thank him enough. I don’t know if he realizes how much he helped me.”

When Caps goalie coach Mitch Korn worked with him, Carlson said he felt “spoiled” at times.

“He’s a very intense coach, but he’s only intense because he cares so much,” Carlson said of Korn. “It’s comforting to know someone cares so much. At the same time he puts a lot of pressure on you to be your best.”

Carlson also had a brief stint in Hershey where he had some extra practice with assistant goalie coach Scott Murray to boost him back up and get his practice habits back in order.

“He works hard. He plays hard. You want a guy like that on your squad who constantly works to get better” said teammate Tim McGauley.

Carlson finished the year strong and mentioned the entire year was a learning experience for him.

“Not playing helped me become a better pro. I learned more this year not playing than [when I was] playing at the start of the year.”

Carlson will most likely spend the majority of the 2017-18 season in South Carolina, if you are down there, he recommends “going to the beach as much as possible.”