Playing career
After showing promise as an ice hockey player from a young age, Carels enrolled at the Pilot Mound Hockey Academy prior to ninth grade. [1] Playing with their U15 team in 2021–22, he posted 19 points in 26 games played. [2] The next season, he appeared in 20 games for the U15 team and scored 32 points. [3] He also appeared in two games for the U17 team and scored two points in the 2022–23 season. [2] After his performance in the 2022–23 season, Carels was selected by the Prince George Cougars with the 15th overall pick in the Western Hockey League (WHL) draft. [4] He played with the Pilot Mound U17 team for most of the 2023–24 season, posting 50 points in 27 games while being named his team's most valuable player and a league all-star. [1] Carels also then played in seven games for Prince George, posting three assists. [5] He participated at the WHL Cup for Team Manitoba, helping them to the title while being named the tournament MVP. [6]
As a rookie for the Cougars in 2024–25 season, Carels was named the Cougars rookie of the year after tallying 35 points in 60 games played. [7] Entering the 2025–26 season, he was named an alternate captain for Prince George, becoming, at age 17, one of the youngest alternate captains in the WHL. [8]
Carels is regarded as a top prospect for the 2026 NHL entry draft. [9]
Personal life
Carels was born on June 23, 2008, in Cypress River, Manitoba. [2] He grew up on his family's farm, which has 500 cattle, and he is one of five children. [13] [1] His father and four siblings each played ice hockey, with Carels first skating at age four. [1]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, his family built a hockey rink on their farm so that they could continue playing. [1]
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