SALT LAKE CITY – A native of Midway, Utah, 16-year-old Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll has experienced more than most kids his age.
Despite not having a driver’s license quite yet, Gordon-Carroll is not only a three-time gold medalist with USA Hockey but he’s also a reigning WHL Champion after winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Medicine Hat Tigers this past season.
Not a dry eye in sight 🥲
Harrison Meneghin, your 2025 WHL Playoff MVP!@TigersHockey | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/IbAEVA2V6A
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 17, 2025
So, what did it take for a young boy from Utah to defy the odds and work towards a path to the NHL?
Determination, sacrifice, hunger, a supportive family and a devoted village to help him reach unprecedented heights.
How Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll’s family sacrificed so he could develop at an early age
After beginning his hockey career as a Provo Polar Bear, Utah Outlier and Jr. Grizzly, Gordon-Carroll faced a tough decision.
2016 Stanley Cup first round against the NY Rangers. We finally get the monkey off our back— in part because we aren’t playing against Carl Haglin. pic.twitter.com/nUB3ti1b2U
— clint gc (@clintgc) August 21, 2025
At just 11-years-old, the young skater had to decide if hockey was going to be a part of his life long-term, which ultimately meant playing outside of Utah and living a much different lifestyle than most kids.
Determined to reach his full potential, Gordon-Carroll played the next season for the Colorado Thunderbirds while still living in Utah.
“Me and my dad drove there and back every week,” Gordon-Carroll said. ” Seven hundred miles there, seven hundred miles back.”
“That’s part of the sacrifice he made for me…and the sacrifice my mom and siblings made to have my dad gone four days a week.”
But that was just the beginning.
Shortly after, 12-year-old Gordon-Carroll was recruited by the Chicago Mission, a premier AAA youth hockey organization known for development and winning.
Recognizing the opportunity, he and his dad moved to Chicago from October to April and would only visit Utah during the holidays.
“Yet again another big family decision with me, my parents and my siblings…going to Chicago as a twelve-year-old to play hockey makes no sense to be honest,” Gordon-Caroll explained.
“My mom was like, ‘We’ll be able to do it for you,’ and my dad said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Despite starting out apart, his parents quickly realized it was too hard to be separated, so the entire family relocated to Chicago while Shaeffer continued his development for three seasons with the Mission.
Sacrifices pay off as Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll wins a lot of gold
Now in the WHL, Shaeffer lives with his grandfather in Alberta, Canada.
A member of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Gordon-Carroll registered 25 points in 55 appearances last season as the Tigers won the WHL Championship.
🏆 THE HUNT IS OVER 🏆
THE MEDICINE HAT TIGERS ARE YOUR 2025 WHL CHAMPIONS!!!
📝 | https://t.co/pjydKCdqeS@TigersHockey | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/BeSBaxVWxE
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 17, 2025
In addition to his success at the Junior level, Gordon-Carroll has also won three gold medals with USA Hockey, most recently at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where the U.S. claimed gold for the first time in 22 years.
Hometown hero and Utah native Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll registered a goal and one assist as Team USA claimed their first gold since 2003 at the #HlinkaGretzky Cup. pic.twitter.com/A1GU1Qz5RA
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) August 16, 2025
“We had one goal in mind. It was to win a gold medal,” he said.
“Everybody had a role, everybody stuck to their role. We just had a dog mentality. If there’s a bone, we’re going to go get it and we wanted to win so bad that we’d put anything on the line.”
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll hopes to see hockey grow in Utah as he works towards an NHL career
Despite having to move from his home at a young age, Gordon-Carroll is proud of his Utah roots and couldn’t be more excited about the growth of the game.
Now that there’s an NHL squad just down the road in Salt Lake City, the young forward has not only witnessed the excitement, but he’s benefited from having the best players and coaches in the world in his backyard.
“It’s just been growing so much. I went to a game this winter and it was like geez, it’s a Tuesday night and the fans are growing crazy…it’s one of the best sports in the world and I’m glad Utah’s got it,” Gordon-Carroll explained.
“I actually got to meet some of the Mammoth players and skate with them this summer. I got to skate with Dylan Guenther, Ian Cole, and Alexander Kerfoot…I got to skate with Guenther and see the shot in person. He talked to me about it and I’ve been practicing.”
As the game grows in Utah, Gordon-Carroll hopes to blossom into a NHL draft prospect over the next few seasons.
Eligible in 2027, he seems to have a good grasp on what it will take to accomplish his dream, and he wouldn’t have any issue being drafted by the NHL’s newest franchise.
“The NHL is the top goal and making fifteen years, ten years in the NHL,” he said.
“Hockey is just, you’ve got to evolve every single part of your game. Your shot, your skating, puck battles, faceoffs, it’s everything.”
Gordon-Carroll will now return to Alberta with hopes of defending the Tigers recent WHL title as he and his family continue sacrificing for his ultimate goal of making it to the NHL.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
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