'It Feels Surreal'

‘Serendipitous’ doesn’t begin to describe it. 

Surrounded by family, friends and more than a small town’s worth of supportive neighbours on the family farm, Carson Carels was drafted to the city with an equally rich western heritage. 

Surely, his first-ever trip to the world-famous Calgary Stampede will be one for the books, now.

“I’m so excited for that,” Carels said over the phone from Cypress River, Man. “It’s going to be unreal.

“I'm a little nervous for it, honestly, too, because I've never really done any of that stuff before. But it's going to be awesome, I’m sure.”

While his upcoming trip to southern Alberta will cross over nicely with the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, pulling his new team’s iconic red-and-white sweater over his head for the first time at Flames Development Camp promises to be a spectacle in itself.

“It feels surreal. It's breathtaking, honestly,” he said of being selected by the Flames. “Early in the draft process, I thought Calgary would be a great fit for me and it all worked out. I think it's a great place and it's going to turn into a home for me, so it's going to be awesome.

“I was really nervous today. I really couldn't sleep at all last night, so this morning I woke up and tagged cows on the farm. Then late in the day, I went out and skated with (Philadelphia Flyers and Team Canada defenceman) Travis Sanheim, because I wanted to take my mind off everything and hockey's always does that for me. 

“When I came back, I had a couple hours to spend with my family and that was great. 

“And then I got the nod.

"It's a party right now, that's for sure. I haven't ever seen the farm like this, honestly. It will be a good time and I'm really happy I stayed home and did it this way."

Carels, the No. 3-ranked North-American skater, is a 6-foot-2, 198-lb. left-shot blueliner who’s known for his elite offensive talent. He tilts the ice to such a degree that he nearly set a franchise record for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars last year, recording 73 points (20G, 53A) in only 58 games – the second-most in club lore and only one back of the all-time leader.

He’s regularly deployed in all situations and is an effective powerplay quarterback who distributes the puck exceptionally well. His size makes him a stout physical presence, but it’s his foot-work – both in speed and agility – that makes him such a powerful defender.

In other words, he has top-pair material written all over him.

“I think it was a great season for me,” Carels said, looking back on the year in PG. “Obviously, the numbers speak for themselves offensively, but I think I played a complete team game and did everything I could to best round-out my skill. I was all-in on the Cougars and wanted to play for my coaches and teammates. 

“I want to carry on that same development path and build on the lessons I learned this year, whether I’m back in PG or not.

“I want to get bigger and stronger and really hammer on the details with my stick. Those are the little things that will put me on top from a defensive standpoint, so that’s a real focus for me as I look to next year and beyond.”

Carels has committed to the University of North Dakota, but where he spends the 2026-27 season will be a conversation between him and the Flames this off-season. 

If they choose to go the Grand Forks route, he would join fellow first-round pick Cole Reschny at one of college’s great hockey havens – a program that housed Flames prospect Cade Littler, as well as the recently-turned-pro Abram Wiebe, in the past year alone. 

A return to Prince George isn’t out of the question. And neither is a shot here with the Flames.

That will sort itself out in due time. 

But for now, Carels has a busy summer ahead. Growing up on a working farm with more than 500 cows means there’s no shortage of long days and heavy labour waiting for him when the skates are off. 

It is, after all, what’s made him who he is today. 

He simply wouldn’t have missed the thrill of draft day if he wasn’t equally passionate about life, family and that commendable, hard-working upbringing.

“Working on the farm means you get up and get going,” he said. “Right now, we're calving, so we need to tag all the cows and move the pairs. It's almost haying season and we're also getting a bunch of machinery ready, so some days you're out in the tractor from 7 a.m. to 10 or 12 at night. It's a busy time, but I really enjoy it and love being out there.

“The work ethic, for sure. It's something I learned a lot about. 

“But the other is trying not to take things for granted. You've got to learn to let things go, because sometimes things don't work out and you've got to shrug it off and move forward. 

“That's what it's all taught me.

“And that’s what it’s led me to tonight.”