The stories of player perseverance against seemingly insurmountable odds are the anomaly in sports as opposed to the norm. Most players who make it to professional hockey have skated since they were kids. It is especially rare to see a player who was cut not once, but twice from his high school hockey team, gain an opportunity for an NHL career. Adam Carlson is one of those anomalies.
Not Good Enough
Carlson wasn’t skilled enough to even make the junior varsity team his sophomore year at Edina High School, so he sat didn’t even try out his junior year to put in extra work, hoping to earn a spot on the varsity his final year at Edina. Although he was cut again, his dedicated perseverance would soon begin to pay off.
Junior Gold
He made Edina’s Junior Gold A team that year, where he was a vital cog on a team that dominated their way to a state junior hockey championship. Instead of harboring resentment for being cut twice by the high school coaching staff, Adam became even more determined to become a standout hockey player.
Collegiate Opportunity
After that, many devastating setbacks, no one would have blamed him for hanging up his skates. However, the successful travel team experience led to a tryout at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Carlson would accept the opportunity to skate Division I hockey, where he joined the Lakers after leading the amateur Chill to their state title. All the way back from being cut from his high school squad to a spot on a DI roster, the best was yet to come for Carlson.
Welcome to the Big Time
Hard work and diligence still drove Carlson during his first season at Mercyhurst and a hockey player who was once not even talented enough to skate for his high school, caught the eye of an NHL scout. The Washington Capitals were so impressed with Carlson’s ability to defend the goal; he has inked a two-year tryout contract and will begin a pro career, defending the nets for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Most athletes would have been too discouraged to keep trying, but not Adam Carlson. Dedicated persistence has this hockey goalie now primed for a chance to play at the highest level in the world. Adam Carlson is a true-to-life story of persevering over adversity and now sits at the doorstep of playing hockey on the ultimate world stage in the NHL.