Who's Carson Carels and why Canucks GM Patrik Allvin was scouting him

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Carson Carels, a defenceman projected to be an early pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, led the Prince George Cougars to a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Giants in front of an LEC crowd that included Canucks GM Patrik Allvin

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Published Jan 19, 2026 • 4 minute read

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Carels Carson Carels of Canada reacts after the bronze-medal game against Finland during the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship at Grand Casino Arena on Jan. in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo by David Berding /Getty ImagesArticle content

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin grabbed a spot in the scouts section at the south end of the Langley Events Centre on Sunday night, getting a first-hand look at Prince George Cougars defenceman Carson Carels.

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The 6-foot-2, 202 pound, left shot blueliner is pegged as an early pick in this summer’s NHL Draft. Carels had a goal and was named first star in the Cougars’ 5-1 romp over the Vancouver Giants.

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TSN’s Craig Button slotted Carels at No. 5 in his draft rankings that went out Thursday. Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino had Carels at No. 8 in his latest poll published Wednesday. NHL Central Scouting tagged Carels as the No. 3 North American skater in its midterm rankings that came out last Monday.

Carels has 11 goals and 38 points through 35 games. He was also a part of the Team Canada entry at the World Juniors in Minnesota. The product of Cypress River, Man., was the youngest player on that squad, four days junior to fellow defenceman Keaton Verhoeff.

Carels was the highest regarded draft prospect in Sunday’s game at the LEC. The Giants have two potential first-rounders in defenceman Ryan Lin (wrist) and winger Mathis Preston (knee), but they’re both sidelined by injury for multiple weeks.

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The Canucks are last in the NHL. That puts them in the best position to win the draft lottery and pick No. 1 overall. That’s territory right now belonging to either Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna or Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg.

The Canucks also own the Minnesota Wild’s first-rounder from the Quinn Hughes swap. The Wild were No. 6 in the NHL before action Monday. That selection Vancouver acquired is bound to be in the later stages of the first round.

Vancouver could obviously wind up adding another first-rounder via trade.

Can we read way too much into Allvin’s appearance at Sunday’s game? Certainly. It’s early days. It’s January. The draft is in June. Allvin’s trip to the LEC could have simply been a part of him getting a baseline read on this year’s crop of draft talent.

You do hear stories, too, about teams using the draft process as an opportunity to start gathering intel on players for possible acquisitions well down the line. For instance, the Canucks interviewed Giants winger Tyler Benson just before the 2016 NHL Draft, even though he was pegged to go in either the late first round and early second round, and they didn’t have a pick in that range.

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Regardless of reasons, Allvin getting out and working on future Canuck teams is a positive look for him with both the fan base and his bosses.

There’s, of course, much to like about Carels if you’re an NHL GM. He has similarities to Buffalo Sabres rearguard Bowen Byram, the former Giant whose name has been attached to the Canucks in various trade rumours over the past few years. Byram’s a left shot, they’re similar in build (Byram’s 6-foot-1, 205 pounds), they’re both athletic and good skaters who can jump into the offence.

Byram was more of a scorer in his draft year (26 goals with Vancouver in 2018-19); Carels is more of a distributor and more diligent defensively.

“He’s getting so much attention, and it’s all earned,” Prince George GM/coach Mark Lamb said Monday morning when asked about Allvin being on hand to check out Carels. “I tell the same story all the time … you throw me a category and he’s a 10. His skating, his playmaking, his physicality, his understanding of his position as a young D-man. The leadership he has and the will to win he has … he’s got everything.

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“All these high-end players, it’s all weighted toward offence. But he also really understands playing away from the puck, which I think is just such a credit to him. At such a young age, it’s so hard to do.

“When I talk to NHL people, I tell them, ‘If you can get him, get him. You’re not going to go wrong. It’s not going to be a bad pick.’ ”

Lamb, 61, played 11 years in the NHL, and has over 20 years coaching experience as either an NHL assistant or WHL bench boss. He’s been in Prince George for eight seasons, and has had the dual roles for the past seven seasons. Jim Playfair, 61, is the Cougars’ associate coach and his resume includes 15 years coaching at the NHL level, highlighted by a stint guiding the Calgary Flames.

“We try to teach pro habits and this guy’s far ahead of any kid I’ve seen,” Lamb said of Carels.

Prince George (26-16-2-0) is duelling with the expansion Penticton Vees (26-9-4-3) for top spot in the B.C. Division and the top-two seeding in the Western Conference that goes with it. Prince George has a doubleheader this weekend against the visiting Giants (18-25-1-2), who are 10th.

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The Colorado Avalanche took Byram No. 4 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Scotty Bowman was a special adviser with the Chicago Blackhawks then and he had watched all three WHL final games at the LEC between the Giants and the Prince Albert Raiders that spring. Chicago wound up taking Saskatoon Blades centre Kirby Dach one pick before Byram.

The Canucks took a WHL player with their first-round selection last year, grabbing Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes. The last time before that they used a first-rounder on a player from the WHL was in 2014, when they took Calgary Hitmen winger Jake Virtanen.

SEwen@postmedia.com

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