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Carlson Commits to St Johns University

By USPHL Staff, 05/19/21, 12:15PM EDT

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Minnesota Moose’s All-Time Leading Scorer Carlson Commits To St. John’s University

 

By Jim Den Hollander / USPHL.com

 

A few years ago, Cody Carlson, then an 18-year-old resident of Buffalo, Minn., decided to check out a pre-season practice of the Minnesota Moose in Blaine a little under an hour away in the suburbs of the Twin Cities.

It ended up being a great decision as he met Jon Jonasson, Head Coach of the Moose, and forged a partnership that kept the Moose competitive for the past two seasons and ultimately helped wrap up a recent commitment to stay local for four more years at St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minn.

“I first made contact with St. John’s a few weeks before the playoffs this season,” recalled Carlson. “I went on a campus tour shortly after talking with their coaches and loved every part of it. I wanted to stay in the Midwest mainly because of how competitive the MIAC and WIAC conferences are.

“I was interested in St. John’s before they reached out and when they reached out, that made my decision a lot easier. I am hoping to double major in business and exercise science.”

Playing towards that goal of a college commitment began in the Summer of 2019, when the world was a much different and healthier place.

“I went to a pre-season practice with some of the Moose players before the 2019-20 season to see what the Moose were all about,” said Carlson in an e-mail interview. “I sat down with Coach Jonasson after that skate, and we instantly had a great connection. I told him my goals and for two years he did everything he could to help me reach them.

“He told me about the Moose history, the success the Moose had accomplished in the previous seasons and the culture of the program. I was attracted to the organization and the way they did things right away. Being close to home, playing for a top team in the league and having a great connection with the Coach is why I chose the Moose.”

As a youth player, Carlson played with AAA level programs in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota and his impact with the Moose was instant. He put up 63 points in his first season and topped that with another 77 this past season. His 140 points in 88 regular season games make him the Moose’s all-time leading scorer, with no one even within 20 points of that overall mark.

“Playing AAA all over the country against high level players made my transition to juniors a lot easier,” said Carlson. “I had really good chemistry with my teammates both years with the Moose. I think that has something to do with the culture. Everyone was bought in and that made playing with each other easier and more fun.”

Perhaps the most impressive stat for Carlson is his iron-man ability. He has played in all 88 regular season games as well as another dozen postseason contests with the Moose.

“Playing every game both seasons was a goal I had from day one,” said the 5’11,” 180 – pound forward. “I try to do everything I can to prevent getting injured and stay in game shape. I was fortunate to not get injured in my time with the Moose.”

After a disappointing finish in his first season – a second round playoff exit, Carlson said he and his teammates had a clear goal this past year.

“Getting back to nationals was a goal my team and I had from the start,” said Carlson. “We had a lot of veterans on the team that made it to nationals the previous year when it was stripped from us. So, we made it clear to the new guys coming in that every day we were working toward that goal of making it back to the National Tournament.”

“Everyone was so on board it was definitely the closest team I have ever been on which was also why I think we had so much success.”

St. John’s can count on the same dedication, skill, and resilience the Moose have gotten from Carlson for the next four seasons. The Johnnies have landed a good one.

The USPHL congratulates Cody Carlson, his family, the Minnesota Moose and St. John’s University for his commitment.