Carlson was born in Natick, Massachusetts on January 10, 1990,[1] to parents Richard Carlson and Angela Dalle-Molle.[2] The family of four lived in Marlborough, Massachusetts until his father accepted a job in New Jersey when John was five years old.[3] While in Massachusetts, Carlson learned to skate with his father at the age of three.[2] After the family moved to the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, Carlson and his brother Andrew played junior hockey for the New Jersey Rockets in the Atlantic Youth Hockey League.[3][4]
Playing career
Minor and Junior
In his freshman year at St. Joseph High School, Carlson played for both the varsity team and the Rockets in the 2004-05 season.[3] He was only one of a few players who joined the Rockets Junior A team at the age of 15.[5] Carlson played all 21 games for St. Joseph, registering 12 goals and 19 points, to help lead the team to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Sweet 16 tournament. However, this would be his only season playing for St. Joseph as he then dedicated his sophomore and junior years to the Rockets.[3] While playing for the Rockets under coach Bob Thornton during the 2006–07 season,[4] Carlson scored 50 points in 44 games to earn the Atlantic Junior Hockey League Offensive Defenseman of the Year Award.[1][6] Throughout his time with the Rockets organization, Carlson gained the attention of scouts for the National Hockey League (NHL) and United States Hockey League (USHL).[5]
The attention eventually resulted in him transferring to Cathedral High School in Indianapolis for his senior year to play one season with the Indiana Ice in the USHL.[7] As a 17-year-old, Carlson played 59 games with the Ice and recorded 12 goals and 43 points.[8] He was subsequently honored by being named to the USHL's 2007–08 Second All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team[1] Before the start of the 2007–08 season, Carlsson committed to play college hockey for the University of Massachusetts Amherst and expressed his excitement to join the team. However, after he was drafted by the London Knights in the 2008 OHL draft, Carlson was privately advised by Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr to take a different route.[9] Leading up to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Carlson was ranked 17th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and was expected to be drafted in the first round.[4] He was eventually drafted in the first round, 27th overall, by the Washington Capitals.[8]
Following the NHL draft, Carlson participated in the Washington Capitals training camp and played in two preseason games before joining the Knights for the 2008–09 season.[10] After scoring four goals and 10 assists over his first 12 games, Carlson signed an entry-level contract with the Capitals on November 13.[11] Carlson's defensive play helped the Knights hold a 9-1-0-0 record through December and he began the 2009 calendar year ranked third among all rookies in scoring. As a result, Carlson was honored as the OHL Rookie of the Month for December.[12] He continued to improve through January and was selected to participate in the 2009 OHL All-Star Classic.[13] Carlson scored four goals and 16 assists through 14 games in January to earn the OHL Defenceman of the Month honor.[14] He finished the regular season with 16 goals and 60 assists through 59 games and added another 22 points over 14 playoffs games.[15] His efforts were recognized by the Knights at the end of the season and he received numerous honors including: the Booster Club Player of the Year, Play-Off Performer of the Year, Best Defenceman, Rookie of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.[16] The OHL also honored Carlson by naming him to the OHL Second All-Star Team,[17] OHL First All-Rookie Team,[18] and the CHL All-Rookie team.[19]
Carlson with the Hershey Bears during the 2009–10 season.
Carlson immediately impressed the Capitals coaching staff while attending their development camp ahead of the 2009–10 season. Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau described him as "easily" the most NHL-ready out of all the prospects in attendance.[15] Despite this praise, Carlson was re-assigned to the Bears to start the 2009–10 season.[23] He scored his first AHL regular-season goal on October 17, 2009, against the Binghamton Senators.[24] He tallied four assists in the next few games[25] and finished the month leading all Hershey defensemen in scoring.[26] He was called up to the NHL level on November 18[27] and given the jersey number 74.[28] He made his NHL debut two nights later, on November 20, 2009, against the Montreal Canadiens.[29][30] At the age of 19, Carlson became the youngest player to make his debut with the Capitals since Alexander Semin in 2003-04.[31] He played 17:24 minutes in his debut and recorded one shot on net.[32] Carlsson remained in the NHL for two more games before being returned to the Bears.[29] Upon returning to the AHL, Carlson was selected for the AHL All-Star Games and was loaned to Team USA for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[23] Following the tournament, Carlson alternated between the two teams[29] before finally staying with the Capitals from March until the end of the season.[33] He finished the 2009-10 AHL season ranking fourth among all with rookie defensemen four goals and 35 assists through 48 games. As such, he was selected for the 2010 AHL All-Rookie team.[34] While he did not finish the regular season with the Bears, Carlson was honored as their Rookie of the Year and Best Defenceman.[35]
Carlson scored his first career NHL goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 25, 2010. Despite losing 3-2, Carlson tied an NHL record by being one of three rookie defensemen to score a goal that game.[36] He finished the regular season with six points through 22 games[33] and remained eligible for rookie status the following season.[28][37] While both the Bears and Capitals qualified for the postseason, Carlson remained at the NHL level for the entirety of their Eastern Conference quarter-finals series against the Canadiens.[33] As a 20-year-old rookie, Carlson played in all seven games and ranked third among Capitals defensemen in ice time.[29] He scored his first NHL playoff point, an assist, in Game 1[38] and tallied his first playoff goal in Game 2.[28] His goal forced the game to overtime where teammate Nicklas Bäckström secured the win for the Capitals.[39] Carlson finished the playoffs with one goal and three assists as the Canadiens eliminated the Capitals in seven games. Following their elimination, he rejoined the Bears for their second-round series against the Albany River Rats.[40] Carlson recorded one assist and six shots on net in Game 4 to help the Bears advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.[41] However, he struggled throughout the series,[42] and tallied only one assist over six games as the Bears advanced to the 2010 Calder Cup Final.[43][44] Carlson tallied his first goal of the postseason in Game 4 of the Finals against the Texas Stars to even the series 2–2.[45] His second goal came in Game 6 to help lead the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships.[46]
Carlson played the entirety of the 2010–11 season at the NHL level for the first time in his career.[29] Due to their play in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, Boudreau reunited Carlson with his former defensive partner, Karl Alzner, for the majority of the season.[47] As the season progressed, the duo began to earn more on-ice responsibilities such as playing against the opposing team's top players[48] and spending time on the Capitals powerplay and penalty kill unit.[47] Carlson ended the regular season with seven goals and 30 assists to tie a franchise record for most points by a rookie defenseman in a single season.[49] Despite suffering a hip injury in Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, Carlson still averaged over 25 minutes of ice time through their first round series against the New York Rangers.[50] After eliminating the Rangers, Carlson and the Capitals faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals.[51] In the semifinals series, Carlson and Alexander Ovechkin were the only two Capitals players to score more than one goal as the Lightning swept them in four games.[52]
After the Capitals were eliminated from the 2012 playoffs, interim head coach Dale Hunter voluntarily stepped down and was replaced by Adam Oates.[53] The day before the start of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Carlson signed a six-year, $23.8million contract extension with the Capitals.[54] Due to the lockout, NHL players did not have access to the team’s practice facilities or trainers. In order to remain in shape, Carlson, Jason Chimera, and Jay Beagle paid $360 an hour four times a week to rent ice time at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex.[55] Once the lockout officially ended in January 2013, Carlson and his teammates were able to practice in their team's facilities once again.[56] While Carlson was originally reunited with Alzner to start the shortened season, Oates split the duo up after four consecutive poor performances.[57] Over the first three games of the season, Carlson and Alzner allowed approximately nine goals to be scored against the team out of a total of 14.[58] Following the split, Carlson played the remainder of the season with either John Erskine or Jack Hillen.[57] On February 15, 2013, Carlson recorded an assist in his 200th career NHL game to lift the Capitals to a 4–3 win over the Lightning.[59] The following month, Carlson was one of four Capitals players to score a goal in the first eight minutes of a game against the Florida Panthers. At the time, these were the second-fastest four goals scored in franchise history and the Capitals won the game 7–1.[60] He finished the season with six goals and 16 assists for 22 points through 48 games.[1]
Finding success and winning the Stanley Cup (2013–2019)
Carlson began the 2013–14 season on a different defensive unit than Alzner. However, the duo were swiftly reunited as the Capitals top defensive unit midway through October as other teammates struggled.[61][62] He finished the month with no goals and two assists through 12 games but began improving through November.[63] Carlson scored his 100th NHL point, and his first goal of the season, on November 2, 2013, against the Florida Panthers.[64] By November 27, he had added five goals and four assists over 12 games while averaging a career-high 23:53 minutes of ice time.[63] On January 1, 2014, Carlson was named to the Team USA for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[65] As numerous NHL players were playing in the Olympics, the league paused play from February 9 to February 25.[66] Shortly before leaving for Sochi, Carlson set a new franchise record for defensemen by playing in his 272nd consecutive game with the Capitals.[67] Over the final 16 games of the regular season, Carlson tallied 14 points on the power-play to rank ninth among defenseman in power-play points. He finished the season with a career-best 10 goals and 37 points while playing in every single game for the fourth consecutive season.[68] Despite his efforts, the Capitals failed to qualify for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, this would be the last time the Capitals failed to qualify for the playoffs until 2023.[69]
Carlson with the Capitals in February 2014.
In the 2014 offseason, the Capitals hired Barry Trotz as head coach, Todd Reirden as an assistant coach[70] and signed veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik.[71] Upon joining the Capitals organization, Reirden worked closely with Carlson to "maximize his shift potential."[72] One of his solutions involved pairing Carlson with Orpik for the 2014–15 season.[72][73] On October 16, Carlson became the first defenseman in franchise history to play 300 consecutive games with the Capitals.[74] In late November, Carlson and Reirden started training together 15 minutes before practice began to work on his development. Following this change, Carlson tallied his 100th NHL assist and moved into 10th all-time among Capitals defensemen in total assists.[75] After scoring a goal on January 10, Carlson struggled through a month-long goalless. He broke this streak on February 11 by tallying a goal and an assist against the San Jose Sharks. These two points, which accounted for his 37th and 38th of the season, set a new career-high and put him on pace for 46 assists overall.[76] After ending the regular season with a career-high 12 goals and 43 assists, Carlson finished in 10th place in James Norris Memorial Trophy voting.[77]
Carlson's 2015–16 season was interrupted by an injury that limited him to playing just 56 regular season games. This ended his Ironman streak of playing in all regular season games from his rookie season in 2010–11 to 2014–15.[78] On October 14, Carlson played in his 400th NHL game, and 380th consecutive game, in a 5–0 shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks.[79] He scored his 200th career point, an assist, on November 5, 2015, in a 4–1 win over the Boston Bruins.[80] Later that month, he played in his 400th consecutive NHL game to clinch the record for second-longest Ironman streak in franchsie history.[81] However, this streak would never surpass second place as he suffered an injury during a game against Montreal on December 26.[82] Following an MRI, it was announced that he would need three to four weeks to recover.[83] At the time of the injury, Carlson had recorded six goals and 21 assists while also playing on the first power-play unit and the penalty kill.[82] Due to the injury, Carlson's 412 consecutive games played streak ended 10 games shy of beating Bob Carpenter's franchise-record 422 game streak.[84][85] Despite the injury, Carlson scored eight goals and 31 points by the end of the regular season to help the Capitals qualify for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.[86] In their first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Carlson scored back-to-back game-winning goals to clinch wins in Game 1 and 2.[87] In the Eastern Conference second round, Carlson tied Scott Stevens and Kevin Hatcher's franchise record for most goals by a defenseman in a single postseason.[88]
Over the 2016 offseason, Carlson was selected to compete for Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.[89] Upon starting the 2016–17 season without a goal, it was revealed that he had suffered an injury during the tournament.[90] As Alzner was finding success with Matt Niskanen, the Capitals coaching staff reunited Carlson with Dmitry Orlov. However, after reuniting Carlson with Alzner on December 5, the Capitals went on a lengthy winning streak.[91] Carlson suffered his second injury in two seasons during a game against the Flyers on 16 January.[92] He missed six games to recover before returning to the Capitals lineup on January 31 against the New York Islanders.[93] On February 8, Carlsson tallied his 196th NHL point, an assist, to help the Capitals shutout the Carolina Hurricanes. His assist lifted him over Sylvain Côté for sole possession of seventh place on the franchise's all-time list for assists by a defenseman.[94] Carlson finished the regular season three games early after suffering a second injury on April 2. As such, Carlson finished the regular season with nine goals and 28 assists while averaging a team-high 22:43 minutes of ice time per game.[95]
During the 2017–18 season, the last year of his contract, Carlson had a career year, putting up career numbers in goals and assists.[96] He played in all 82 games during regular season, and his success helped push the Capitals to the 2018 playoffs.[97] At the conclusion of the regular season, Carlson led NHL defensemen in points with 68 and became the first Capitals defenseman since Mike Green in the 2009–10 season to score 60 points in a season.[citation needed] Carlson's 2017-18 campaign ended with a Stanley Cup victory and a fifth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting.[98] After winning the Stanley Cup, Carlson signed an eight-year, $64million contract extension with the Capitals.[99]
Carlson skated in his 623rd career game on November 11, 2018, against the Arizona Coyotes, passing Sylvain Côté for sixth place in games played for the Capitals.[100] He had missed one game with a lower-body injury announced on November 9, 2018.[101] In January, Carlson was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time in his career.[102] Carlson ended his 2018–19 season with 13 goals and 70 points in 80 games.[1] He finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting, behind Victor Hedman, Brent Burns, and Mark Giordano.[103]
COVID-19 and later years (2019–present)
Due to the retirement of Orpik, the Capitals appointed Carlson as an alternate captain for the 2019–20 season.[104] In this new role, Carlson executed an immediate output through October which set league, franchise, and personal records. He became the first Capitals’ defenseman, and third player overall, to record 14 points through the team's first eight games.[105] By October 23, he had become the fourth defenseman in NHL history to record 20 or more points through October and the fastest to do so since 1988–99. He also became the third defenseman in NHL history to lead the league in scoring through the first 20 days of the season.[106] Carlson finished October with 23 points to establish a new franchise record for most points by a defenceman in one month.[107] He also tied Ovechkin's single month points record set in 2009 and tied Kevin Hatcher for third place on the franchise's all-time points list among defensemen.[108] In recognition of his efforts, the NHL honored Carlson as the First Star of the Month for October.[109][110]
After tallying three points on November 7, Carlson passed Hatcher for sole possession of third place on the franchise's all-time points list among defensemen.[111] He continued to grow his points total through November and maintained a seven-game streak that resulted in 11 points.[112] On December 4, Carlson scored his 10th goal of the season, and 100th career NHL goal, against the Los Angeles Kings. This goal brought his points total to 43 and tied him with Denis Potvin and Al MacInnis for the second most in NHL history by a defenseman through 30 games.[113] He was subsequently recognized as the NHL's First Star of the Week ending on December 9 after recording six points over three games.[114] A few days later, Carlson tallied the game-winning goal to lift the Capitals over the Boston Bruins. Upon scoring this goal, he became the fastest Capitals defenseman to reach 45 points since MacInnis in 1990–91.[115] As his record breaking season continued, Carlson was selected for his second constructive NHL All-Star Game. At the time of his selection, he ranked first among all NHL defensemen with 37 assists and 50 points and was the first defenseman since Paul Coffey to record 50 points in his team's first 40 games.[116]
Before leaving for the NHL All-Star Game, Carlson became the fastest defenseman in franchise history to reach the 60-point mark in a season.[117] As a member of the Metropolitan Division All-Stars, Carlson became the first defenseman in Capitals history to score a goal in the NHL All-Star Game.[118] Shortly after returning from the All-Star Game, Carlson passed Calle Johansson to become the franchise leader in assists by a defenseman.[119] On February 23, Carlson tallied an assist on Tom Wilson's goal to pass Johansson once again and become the Capitals franchise leader in points by a defenseman.[120] When the NHL paused play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlson led all NHL defensemen with 15 goals and 75 points through 69 games.[121] He was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman,[122] but lost to Nashville's Roman Josi.[123]
When the NHL returned to play for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals moved into the Toronto bubble along with 11 other Eastern Conference teams.[124] Upon entering the Bubble, the Capitals played an exhibition game against the Carolina Hurricanes[125] before the round-robin tournament began to determine the final playoff seeding.[126] However, after suffering an injury in the Capital's sole exhibition game, Carlson sat out of their round-robin games to recover.[127] He officially made his postseason debut in Game 1 the Eastern Conference first round against the New York Islanders. In his first game back, Carlson tallied two assists and recorded a fight against Anders Lee in a 4–2 loss to the Islanders.[128] After another loss, Carlson's regular defensive partner Michal Kempný was made a healthy scratch for Game 3. Despite this change, the Capitals lost their third consecutive game and faced elimination.[129] He finished the playoffs with six assists as the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs in five games.[130] Carlson's efforts throughout the season was recognized by the NHL and he was named to the 2019–20 NHL First All-Star Team.[131]
Following the Capital's early elimination from the 2020 playoffs, head coach Todd Reirden was replaced with Peter Laviolette.[132] The team also made numerous high profile offseason acquisitions, including signing veteran defensemen Zdeno Chára.[133] Due to COVID-19 cross-border travel restrictions, the 2020–21 season resulted in a realignment of the four conferences. The Capitals were placed in the East Division and only competed against the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.[134] On March 11, Carlson recorded his sixth goal of the season in a 5–3 win over the Flyers. He subsequently became the third fastest active NHL defenseman to reach their 500th point milestone.[135] He continued to reach new milestones and climb the franchise's all-time list throughout April. On April 11, Carlson tallied his 113th and 114th career NHL goals to move into sole possession of third all-time in franchise history.[136] Three days later, Carlson recorded his 400th career assist in his 800th NHL game. While he already held the franchise record for assists by a defenseman, he became the second one in franchise history to skate in 800 games.[137] On April 17, Carlson became the fifth defenseman in franchise history to record four assists in a single game and the first to do so in the 21st century.[138] A cracked kneecap forced Carlson to miss four of the final seven games of the regular season and severely impacted his play during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.[139]
Carlson playing with the Capitals in October 2021.
Carlson underwent surgery over the 2021 offseason to repair his kneecap but was healthy enough to participate in the Capitals training camp.[139] He then spent the entirety of the 2021–22 season playing alongside Martin Fehérváry[140][141] and finished with 17 goals and 54 assists.[1] Carlson quickly accumulated three goals and 13 assists through mid-November to rank second among all NHL defensemen in scoring. After tallying two assists in a game against the San Jose Sharks on November 20, Carlson overtook Michal Pivoňka for third place on the franchise's all-time assist list.[142] By the end of December, Carlson ranked third among NHL defencemen with seven goals and 23 assists.[143] On January 16, 2022, Carlson missed his first game of the season after being placed on the Capitals COVID-19 protocol list.[144] He subsequently missed four games due to COVID-19 and returned to the Capitals lineup on January 24.[145] By mid-March, Carlson became the first defenseman in franchise history to record five seasons with 40 or more assists.[146] Carlson set new personal records in April as the Capitals pushed to qualify for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.[147] On April 23, Carlson set a new career-high in goals after recording his 16th of the season against the Arizona Coyotes.[148] The following game, Carlson became the 18th defenseman in NHL history to record 70 points in at least three seasons.[149] While the Capitals were eliminated in the first-round 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Carlson extended his franchise-leads in games played, assists, and points.[150]
Carlson started the 2022–23 season reunited with Fehérváry[140] and quickly tallied six points in nine games before suffering an injury.[151] He missed six gamed after being placed on injured reserve before returning to the Capitals lineup on November 11.[152] In his first game back, he became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 600 career points. He also passed Pivoňka for fifth place on the franchise's all-time points list.[153] On November 17, Carlson scored two goals in his 900th NHL game to secure a win for the Capitals.[154] At 32 years and 311 days old, Carlson also became the third-youngest player in franchise history to reach this milestone.[155] In the Capitals final game before the league's mandated holiday break, Carlson suffered a fractured skull and lacerated temporal artery after being accidentally struck in the head by a puck.[156] He was immediately transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and kept overnight.[157] At the time, he led all team defensemen with eight goals and 21 points.[158] Carlson spent the next three months recovering from the injury and worked privately with a skating coach to maintain his form.[157] He returned to the Capitals lineup on March 23, 2023, and scored a goal and an assist in their 6–1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.[159]
On January 5, 2024, Carlson tallied an assist on Dylan Strome's goal in a 6–2 loss to the Hurricanes. He subsequently became the third player in franchise history and 34th defenseman in NHL history to reach the 500 assists milestone.[160] On March 30, 2024, Carlson set another franchise record by playing in his 1,000th NHL game. He was the third Capitals player, and first defenseman, to play all 1,000 games with the Capitals.[161] After also scoring his 149th goal, Carlson tied Kevin Hatcher's franchise record for goals by a defenseman and became the ninth defensemen in NHL history to score a goal in their 1000th game.[162] Carlson officially passed Hatcher's franchise record the following month after scoring his 150th NHL goal on April 13, 2024, against the Lightning.[163]
On November 15, 2024, Carlson passed Ryan Suter and Reed Larson for sole possession of eighth place on the all-time points list for American-born defenseman.[164] On January 6, 2025, Carlson became the 13th defenseman in NHL history to score 700 points with one franchise.[165]
Carlson was an alternate captain for the United States in the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. On January 5, 2010, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game as part of a two-goal effort to defeat Canada 6–5.[166] Carlson finished the tournament with 7 points in 7 games.[1] Additionally, he was named to the tournament's all-star team.[167] In December 2010, Carlson was named to NHL.com's All-Time World Junior Championship team.[168]
On January 1, 2014, Carlson was named to the Team USA for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.[65] Carlson scored Team USA's first goal of the tournament in their opening match against Team Slovakia on February 13.[7] His goal was scored on his first shot in the tournament, giving him consecutive goals on shots in international play for the U.S.[169] In a total of 6 games with Team USA, Carlson recorded a goal and an assist.[23] While Team USA entered the semi-finals undefeated, they finished in fourth place after being shutout in the bronze medal game by Finland.[170]
Carlson is of Swedish descent on his father's side and Italian on his mother's.[171] On September 6, 2014, Carlson married his long-time girlfriend Gina Nucci.[172] The couple have four children together.[173][174]
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Julien Brouillette is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.
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