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Junior Gold A Alum commits to Mercyhurst

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 11:28 pm
by green4
Adam Carlson of Edina committed to Mercyhurst earlier today. Adam played for Edina's JV team as a sophomore and a junior before being cut as a senior. (He was apart of that Edina senior class where almost everyone was cut)
For his senior year he played on Edina's JGA team where they won state.
After high school he played in the MNJHL for a year and has been in the NAHL for last year and this year playing for Coulee Region.
He currently leads the NAHL in starts with 23 (of 27 games) and is 3rd in the league with a save % of .933
With a league full of Minnesotan goalies such as Driscall (Before getting traded) Zevnik, Munson, Lindgren and Kielly, it is cool to see a Junior Gold player a top of the goalie charts.
Here is an article about Adam that was written earlier this year in January: http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=700777

Obviously he did not play varsity hockey, but I thought this was a nice, feel good story that shows how no matter what league you play in, there is still a chance for a kid to reach his dreams.

Re: Junior Gold A Alum commits to Mercyhurst

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:50 am
by blindref
green4 wrote:Adam Carlson of Edina committed to Mercyhurst earlier today. Adam played for Edina's JV team as a sophomore and a junior before being cut as a senior. (He was apart of that Edina senior class where almost everyone was cut)
For his senior year he played on Edina's JGA team where they won state.
After high school he played in the MNJHL for a year and has been in the NAHL for last year and this year playing for Coulee Region.
He currently leads the NAHL in starts with 23 (of 27 games) and is 3rd in the league with a save % of .933
With a league full of Minnesotan goalies such as Driscall (Before getting traded) Zevnik, Munson, Lindgren and Kielly, it is cool to see a Junior Gold player a top of the goalie charts.
Here is an article about Adam that was written earlier this year in January: http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=700777


Cool story
Obviously he did not play varsity hockey, but I thought this was a nice, feel good story that shows how no matter what league you play in, there is still a chance for a kid to reach his dreams.

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 5:24 am
by mulefarm
Good for him! Really stuck with it and getting a nice reward. What does, almost all of the seniors that year getting cut, have to do with Adam's path to D1?

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:36 am
by InigoMontoya
mulefarm wrote:Good for him! Really stuck with it and getting a nice reward. What does, almost all of the seniors that year getting cut, have to do with Adam's path to D1?
He didn't choose this particular path. The reference gives us a clearer understanding of his situation senior year (and may also give G4 an opportunity to stick it to the program/coach(es) a little).

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:38 am
by Bluewhitefan
mulefarm wrote:Good for him! Really stuck with it and getting a nice reward. What does, almost all of the seniors that year getting cut, have to do with Adam's path to D1?
Nothing. Simply gives the reader context, background, point of reference, whatever. Not sure what the point of your question is.

Re: Junior Gold A Alum commits to Mercyhurst

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:18 pm
by Sats81
green4 wrote:Adam Carlson of Edina committed to Mercyhurst earlier today. Adam played for Edina's JV team as a sophomore and a junior before being cut as a senior. (He was apart of that Edina senior class where almost everyone was cut)
For his senior year he played on Edina's JGA team where they won state.
After high school he played in the MNJHL for a year and has been in the NAHL for last year and this year playing for Coulee Region.
He currently leads the NAHL in starts with 23 (of 27 games) and is 3rd in the league with a save % of .933
With a league full of Minnesotan goalies such as Driscall (Before getting traded) Zevnik, Munson, Lindgren and Kielly, it is cool to see a Junior Gold player a top of the goalie charts.
Here is an article about Adam that was written earlier this year in January: http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=700777

Obviously he did not play varsity hockey, but I thought this was a nice, feel good story that shows how no matter what league you play in, there is still a chance for a kid to reach his dreams.
Very cool. Good for him

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:52 pm
by mnhockfan99
I've seen him steal games for Coulee this year - well deserved and great kid!

Speaks

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:53 pm
by ted2you
I do not know this kid or have any idea what kind of kid he is, but.... What it says to me is that high school sports are fickle at best. It says that there are a lot of good players who try to play at schools that are loaded with talent and never get an opportunity, while other schools would love to have them. It says that the kid didn't find a reason to transfer/pout because he didn't make the varsity and likely played for the love of the game... While I don't know him, he has earned some respect!

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 5:38 pm
by Sats81
This is the first time I have ever heard of this happening, btw. Anyone else know of any others? Curious.

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:14 pm
by Marty
Yes there a couple of players that have been cut from the HS team, skated JG and then Juniors, then college...

Rare indeed.

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:44 pm
by Sats81
Marty wrote:Yes there a couple of players that have been cut from the HS team, skated JG and then Juniors, then college...

Rare indeed.
D1 though?

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:43 pm
by imlisteningtothefnsong
I for one, love this story!! It very much matters that he was a senior and that he was cut. That is one of the best parts of the story. This young man was told by a proverbial "hockey expert" that he was done, he did not have what it took to be part of a program that he had been a part of since mites. (I don't know the kid, he may have moved in his senior year, but I like to think not) He steps up and decides he is not done, keeps working and playing and ends up with a scholarship!! Well done son, well done indeed!!!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:47 am
by C-dad
Wasn't he the one who got cut so Baupre's kid could play varsity?

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:12 am
by mulefarm
Why would you say the coach said he was done? He told him at the time he wasn't good enough to make the team, which may or may not been true at the time. Coaches know every decsion they make doesn't always work out. Maybe if he would have kept him, this journey of his might not have happened. Maybe he was a late bloomer? Anyways it's great to see a kid get the chance to play D1 hockey and fulfill his dream!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:02 am
by imlisteningtothefnsong
mulefarm wrote:Why would you say the coach said he was done?

It's obvious your elite status as an athlete would not understand how difficult it is to be cut as a senior. To have the coach cut you as a senior. is telling most players they are done. Most feel too much emotions to go and lace them up for the JG. I have been around hockey all my life and have put my arm around many crying players who have been cut from teams. These boys grow up chirping each other about going to the NA3 or JG or beer leagues etc. It's all in fun until the hammer comes down on them before their senior year. I also saw this first hand in Apple Valley a few years back. The senior who got cut decided to not be done and went and played for the JG. At the year end banquet they started with squirts and went all the way through HS each coach talking about the teams. JG went last and the coach talked about how this team was like a family the boys started out unsure of themselves, low on confidence after being cut from varsity. This JG coach really stole the show and this team became the show. When it was done and the boys walked up the steps to their seats, one of the seniors who was cut from varsity came running back down and grabbed the mic from the high school coach (who was shocked and nervous to let the boy talk) and said "I am not done, I have some more to say!" That young man went on to talk about things that an Ultra Elite Athlete (MF) may not understand, but I was bawling by the time he was done. He said when Jerry cut me, I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me, but it wasn't. He talked about he wanted to quit hockey, that he was embarrassed to go to school. How some of the boys he had hung out with turned on him and he learned who his real friends were. He talked about how this new JG coach made him fall back in love with the game and how the team showed up at the coaches wedding wearing their game sweaters and how special this team was. This banquet was made special by a group of boys who risked it huge at a vulnerable age to keep the game part of their lives. I wish these stories were the norm rather than the "happens once in a while." It is not easy to keep playing when you get cut as a senior but it just can be very rewarding!! My hat's off to all the boys & girls who keep the skates sharp!!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:07 am
by almostashappy
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:I for one, love this story!! It very much matters that he was a senior and that he was cut. That is one of the best parts of the story. This young man was told by a proverbial "hockey expert" that he was done, he did not have what it took to be part of a program that he had been a part of since mites. (I don't know the kid, he may have moved in his senior year, but I like to think not) He steps up and decides he is not done, keeps working and playing and ends up with a scholarship!! Well done son, well done indeed!!!
It's a great story, but....

- The kid was cut from Edina's high school team. The kids who make that team one year, only to be cut the year after, probably would have made varsity on at least 80% of the other high school teams in the state. So the contrast between playing MSHSL hockey and JG has a big geographical component to it.

- The kid is a goalie, right? It's my opinion that goalies have an easier time jumping up levels of competitive hockey than the kids that skate out. Sure, they might not face the same shot quality at JG level, but a lot of these goalies have private coaches, or at least get a lot of their training from outside of the high school program. And if you live in a rich suburb like Edina, and your parents can afford that coach, you can still make big gains in your play even while playing JG.

- Speaking of rich parents, it's not like this kid jumped from Junior Gold right into a D1 program. He played a year in the MNJHL Tier 3 league...how much that cost these days? There are obviously enough families that can afford the fees to support Tier 3 leagues, but it's a very small number relative to the total number of kids playing JG.

Again, it's a great story, and I don't want to take anything away from the kid. He had to have worked his butt off to get to where he wanted to be, and show some great character and perseverance to keep going after the traditional path to college hockey was blocked for him . I'm just saying that you can't credibly extrapolate his experience to every other kid with a dream who has been cut from their high school team.

Sure, it's theoretically possible that any child born in the USA could be come president, but we all know that birthright and geography make some children's odds better than others.

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:15 am
by imlisteningtothefnsong
OK, it may have been a better story coming from River Lakes rather than Edina, I'll give you that!!
But don't go birthright and Whitehouse on me, look who's in there now!!

Sure, it's theoretically possible that any child born in the USA could be come president, but we all know that birthright and geography make some children's odds better than others.[/quote]

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:13 am
by Bluewhitefan
almostashappy wrote:
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:I for one, love this story!! It very much matters that he was a senior and that he was cut. That is one of the best parts of the story. This young man was told by a proverbial "hockey expert" that he was done, he did not have what it took to be part of a program that he had been a part of since mites. (I don't know the kid, he may have moved in his senior year, but I like to think not) He steps up and decides he is not done, keeps working and playing and ends up with a scholarship!! Well done son, well done indeed!!!
It's a great story, but....

- The kid was cut from Edina's high school team. The kids who make that team one year, only to be cut the year after, probably would have made varsity on at least 80% of the other high school teams in the state. So the contrast between playing MSHSL hockey and JG has a big geographical component to it.

- The kid is a goalie, right? It's my opinion that goalies have an easier time jumping up levels of competitive hockey than the kids that skate out. Sure, they might not face the same shot quality at JG level, but a lot of these goalies have private coaches, or at least get a lot of their training from outside of the high school program. And if you live in a rich suburb like Edina, and your parents can afford that coach, you can still make big gains in your play even while playing JG.

- Speaking of rich parents, it's not like this kid jumped from Junior Gold right into a D1 program. He played a year in the MNJHL Tier 3 league...how much that cost these days? There are obviously enough families that can afford the fees to support Tier 3 leagues, but it's a very small number relative to the total number of kids playing JG.

Again, it's a great story, and I don't want to take anything away from the kid. He had to have worked his butt off to get to where he wanted to be, and show some great character and perseverance to keep going after the traditional path to college hockey was blocked for him . I'm just saying that you can't credibly extrapolate his experience to every other kid with a dream who has been cut from their high school team.

Sure, it's theoretically possible that any child born in the USA could be come president, but we all know that birthright and geography make some children's odds better than others.
Wow. I was almost happy for the kid, until I read almosthappy's post, now I'm almost sad about the whole thing.

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:14 am
by Bluewhitefan
C-dad wrote:Wasn't he the one who got cut so Baupre's kid could play varsity?
Yes

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:56 am
by Sats81
Bluewhitefan wrote:
almostashappy wrote:
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:I for one, love this story!! It very much matters that he was a senior and that he was cut. That is one of the best parts of the story. This young man was told by a proverbial "hockey expert" that he was done, he did not have what it took to be part of a program that he had been a part of since mites. (I don't know the kid, he may have moved in his senior year, but I like to think not) He steps up and decides he is not done, keeps working and playing and ends up with a scholarship!! Well done son, well done indeed!!!
It's a great story, but....

- The kid was cut from Edina's high school team. The kids who make that team one year, only to be cut the year after, probably would have made varsity on at least 80% of the other high school teams in the state. So the contrast between playing MSHSL hockey and JG has a big geographical component to it.

- The kid is a goalie, right? It's my opinion that goalies have an easier time jumping up levels of competitive hockey than the kids that skate out. Sure, they might not face the same shot quality at JG level, but a lot of these goalies have private coaches, or at least get a lot of their training from outside of the high school program. And if you live in a rich suburb like Edina, and your parents can afford that coach, you can still make big gains in your play even while playing JG.

- Speaking of rich parents, it's not like this kid jumped from Junior Gold right into a D1 program. He played a year in the MNJHL Tier 3 league...how much that cost these days? There are obviously enough families that can afford the fees to support Tier 3 leagues, but it's a very small number relative to the total number of kids playing JG.

Again, it's a great story, and I don't want to take anything away from the kid. He had to have worked his butt off to get to where he wanted to be, and show some great character and perseverance to keep going after the traditional path to college hockey was blocked for him . I'm just saying that you can't credibly extrapolate his experience to every other kid with a dream who has been cut from their high school team.

Sure, it's theoretically possible that any child born in the USA could be come president, but we all know that birthright and geography make some children's odds better than others.
Wow. I was almost happy for the kid, until I read almosthappy's post, now I'm almost sad about the whole thing.
Lol, same here! Atta boy almosthappy! Go Eagan!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 11:16 am
by Traxler
Bluewhitefan wrote:
almostashappy wrote:
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:I for one, love this story!! It very much matters that he was a senior and that he was cut. That is one of the best parts of the story. This young man was told by a proverbial "hockey expert" that he was done, he did not have what it took to be part of a program that he had been a part of since mites. (I don't know the kid, he may have moved in his senior year, but I like to think not) He steps up and decides he is not done, keeps working and playing and ends up with a scholarship!! Well done son, well done indeed!!!
It's a great story, but....

- The kid was cut from Edina's high school team. The kids who make that team one year, only to be cut the year after, probably would have made varsity on at least 80% of the other high school teams in the state. So the contrast between playing MSHSL hockey and JG has a big geographical component to it.

- The kid is a goalie, right? It's my opinion that goalies have an easier time jumping up levels of competitive hockey than the kids that skate out. Sure, they might not face the same shot quality at JG level, but a lot of these goalies have private coaches, or at least get a lot of their training from outside of the high school program. And if you live in a rich suburb like Edina, and your parents can afford that coach, you can still make big gains in your play even while playing JG.

- Speaking of rich parents, it's not like this kid jumped from Junior Gold right into a D1 program. He played a year in the MNJHL Tier 3 league...how much that cost these days? There are obviously enough families that can afford the fees to support Tier 3 leagues, but it's a very small number relative to the total number of kids playing JG.

Again, it's a great story, and I don't want to take anything away from the kid. He had to have worked his butt off to get to where he wanted to be, and show some great character and perseverance to keep going after the traditional path to college hockey was blocked for him . I'm just saying that you can't credibly extrapolate his experience to every other kid with a dream who has been cut from their high school team.

Sure, it's theoretically possible that any child born in the USA could be come president, but we all know that birthright and geography make some children's odds better than others.
Wow. I was almost happy for the kid, until I read almosthappy's post, now I'm almost sad about the whole thing.
This made me laugh hard, thanks a lot, Bluewhitefan.

Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 8:44 am
by 57special
C-dad wrote:Wasn't he the one who got cut so Baupre's kid could play varsity?
Yup. Not hard to read between the lines on this one.

Adam Carlson

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:34 am
by Sartellcelly
A few points:

The kid paid most, if not all, of his own post-HS hockey expenses. No deep Edina Daddy pockets in this case, as tempting as that cheap shot can be for many.

Yes, goalies often do make jumps in levels that skaters do not. That's true in youth, HS, college and pro. Example: Bantam B1 8th-grade goalie is now starting for Varsity at his Twin Cities high school as a 9th-grader.

No, Adam not making Hornets as a senior had nothing to do with other seniors being cut that year. Each player was judged independently. Not saying they were judged fairly, but just separately.

No, Adam is not a relative of mine.

Just some facts to help frame the debate going forward. You may resume.

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:43 am
by MrBoDangles
57special wrote:
C-dad wrote:Wasn't he the one who got cut so Baupre's kid could play varsity?
Yup. Not hard to read between the lines on this one.
Cutthroat leadership down there.. The evils seem to be amplified in hockey.

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:51 am
by Froggy Richards
MrBoDangles wrote:
57special wrote:
C-dad wrote:Wasn't he the one who got cut so Baupre's kid could play varsity?
Yup. Not hard to read between the lines on this one.
Cutthroat leadership down there.. The evils seem to be amplified in hockey.
This has been going on for a long time. I can still remember Reagan's speech in the 80's when he referred to Edina as the Evil Empire.