Mark Carlson (ice hockey)

Mark Carlson (born February 5, 1969) is the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders President, Head Coach and General Manager. In 2016, he became the second United States Hockey League (USHL) coach to reach 1,000 games.

Mark Carlson
Born (1969-02-05) February 5, 1969
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell (B.S.)
Northeastern University (MES)
Spouse(s)Tammy
Children2
Ice hockey career
Position Left wing
Shot Left
NHL Draft 215th overall, 1987
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career –1993

Early life and education

Carlso was born in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.[1]

Carlson attended the University of Massachusetts-Lowell from 1990 until 1993.[2] He played for the UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey. Carlson recorded his first collegiate goal on February 1, 1992, against the Chiefs.[3]

Coaching career

College

After graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing, he assumed the role of assistant coach for the 1995–96 season.[2] After his first stint with the UMass River Hawks helped lead them to the 1996 NCAA tournament, Carlson became an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern University.[1] In 1999, Carlson was offered a job at Colorado College, but committed to continue working alongside Bruce Crowder at UMass-Lowell.[4]

USHL

On July 7, 1999, Carlson was named the head coach of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[5] During the team's inaugural season in Cedar Rapids, they had no home arena and practiced at Coral Ridge Mall.[6] The team played their first game on September 24, 1999.[7] He signed a three-year extension at the end of the season.[6]

In his second season as head coach, the RoughRiders qualified for the USHL playoffs and won the first series.[6] Carlson led the RoughRiders to their first Clark Cup during the 2004–05 USHL season. He led them to a 42-13-5 record during the regular season and a 9–2 record during the playoffs.[8] As a result, he was the recipient of the 2005 USHL Coach of the Year.[9]

In 2009, Carlson was re-signed to a 10-year contract courtesy of Newco Riders, LLC., which also included ownership of the team.[10] He was also selected to coach the 2009 U.S. Junior Select Team at the World Junior A Challenge.[2] The following season, Carlson led the RoughRiders to the Anderson Cup and was named USHL Coach of the Year. The season set a new record for the league's best regular season record of 42-12-6. As well, the RoughRiders had the best home record in the League and set a new team high for longest home winning streak.[11] Carlson achieved a personal milestone as well by becoming the sixth coach in USHL history to reach 400 wins.[12] After that season, Carlson was offered a coaching position at the University of Massachusetts, which he declined.[13]

During the 2015–16 season, Carlson became the second USHL coach to reach 1,000 games.[14] After the RoughRiders clinched the Anderson Cup, he was named USHL Coach of the Year.[15] Carlson continued his success with the RoughRiders and eventually became the first coach in the USHL to record 600 career wins with one team.[16]

Awards and recognitions

In January 2019, Carlson was nominated for the inaugural Darcy Haugan Memorial Award, named after Humboldt Broncos coach.[17]

Personal life

Carlson is married to Tammy and they have two sons together.[18]

References
  1. "USHL CEDAR RAPIDS ROUGHRIDERS COACHING STAFF". roughridershockey.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  2. "CARLSON TO COACH THE 2009 U.S. JUNIOR SELECT TEAM". goriverhawks.com. October 15, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  3. "Chiefs settle for tie with Wildcats". Lowell Sun. February 1, 1992. p. 17.
  4. "Staying Put". ushr.com. June 29, 1999. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  5. "Carlson Replaces Nelson". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa. July 7, 1999. p. 25.
  6. "Carlson Makes Cedar Rapids a top-notch franchise". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa. January 22, 2007. p. 66.
  7. Morehouse, Marc (September 24, 1999). "1st puck drop tonight". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa.
  8. "RoughRiders Clark Cup Celebration Tomorrow at Noon in Greene Square Park". oursportscentral.com. May 10, 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  9. "Riders' Carlson named USHL Coach of the Year". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa. April 14, 2005. p. 21.
  10. "USHL Approves Sale of Cedar Rapids RoughRiders". oursportscentral.com. May 28, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  11. "MARK CARLSON NAMED USHL COACH OF THE YEAR Junior Hockey News". juniorhockey.com. May 11, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  12. "CARLSON ('93) EARNS 400TH USHL COACHING WIN". goriverhawks.com. March 23, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  13. Johnson, Jeff (July 13, 2012). "Carlson will stay with RoughRiders". The Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  14. "Mark Carlson set to coach 1,000th USHL game". ushl.com. February 10, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  15. Johnson, Jeff (May 12, 2016). "Mark Carlson of Cedar Rapids RoughRiders named USHL Coach of the Year". Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  16. Robinson, Tom (February 22, 2018). "Junior Notebook: RoughRiders Earn Milestone 600th Win for Coach Mark Carlson". usahockey.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  17. Johnson, Jeff (January 16, 2019). "Cedar Rapids RoughRiders' Mark Carlson nominated for prestigious coaching award". The Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  18. Johnson, Jeff (June 18, 2011). "They can always turn to "Coach"". The Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
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