Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger was made famous in the movie depiction of his life “Rudy.”  Ruettiger beat the odds of having dyslexia and gained entrance into Notre Dame after four tries and eventually made the scout team and played three plays for the Irish as a walk-on Senior football player.

Adam Carlson from Edina is slowly writing a script of his own en route to a spot on an American college hockey team. Adam, son of John and Lisa Carlson was a Goalie in the Edina youth system his whole life.  Adam played Squirt A hockey, but after that found himself in an association that was chock full of goalies, which soon meant he would play mostly B hockey. For the most part, by Bantams, Adam could do the math that his chances of playing Varsity hockey were slim.

Most players in that slot tend to choose other sports, other hobbies, or just play out the string as a Junior Gold player.  Adam did both, but with a purpose.  He continued playing baseball and hockey throughout high school.  His Sophomore year he did not make the Junior Varsity.  His Junior year, lacking confidence didn’t even tryout for the high school team and he played Junior Gold A.

The Summer before his Senior year, Ryan Ess from Devenir Goaltenders stopped into General Sports where Adam worked. His boss Matt Haapala introduced the two goalies and they began to train together. “I had one year left of hockey, I set out to give it my all to make the Varsity that Winter.” Like any predictable happy ending story, there has to be sadness before the joy.  Adam was the last goalie cut his Senior year. Within hours of being cut, Adam was back in his skates playing with his buddies. Buddies that also were cut from the Varsity tryout, some even that had played Varsity as Juniors for the Hornets.  Thirteen total players for Adam’s Junior Gold A team had played Varsity or Junior Varsity hockey for Edina.  Needless to say, that team did quite well winning the state Junior Gold A title.  Winning the Junior Gold A state tournament with a margin victory of 18-2.

“It was that Spring that I knew that hockey was my sport…there was just something about hockey that drove me to continue working toward playing more hockey.” He continued to train with Coach Ess and explore options after high school. While training with Ess he started to see the increase in training to pay off, I was in better shape, I was smarter, but most important Ryan helped me be the most efficient ‘me’ as possible.”

Most Senior hockey players at Edina high school have three choices: College Hockey or College Hockey with a year in USHL, Division III hocky, or hang it up. Adam was cut from a different mold than his classmates.

Most Seniors in high school in the Spring have chosen their college or are frantically deciding on where to go to college.  Not Adam.  Adam and his mom began to research all Junior Hockey options.  There are three levels of American Junior hockey.  The USHL, a league of Division I players biding their time prior to skating in the limelight of the big time.  The NAHL, a league of guys fighting for the last few Division I spots remaining and Division III money to keep playing and going to college. And finally, the Tier 3 pay to play leagues.

Adam without any Varsity hockey experience, was likely going to head off to the NA3HL which is a pay to play Junior League. After an extensive tryout process, Adam caught on with the North Iowa Bulls in Mason City, where he was the third goalie and eventually got traded to the Steele County Blades in the pay-to-play tier 3 MNJHL where he ended up winning the Goalie of the League Award and League MVP runner-up. It was in Owatonna that Adam lived with a billet family and really grew up as a person and a player.

This year Adam moved up to the NAHL.  The “NA” is the perfect spot for Adam.  He’s in a league with a bunch of other Adam’s.  A bunch of guys fighting to find their way into college hockey. Adam is playing for the Coulee Region Chill in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  In his first month in the NAHL, he was named Goalie of the Month.  He currently holds a 1.32 Goals Against Average and holds an amazing .955 Save Percentage. Adam has two more seasons of Junior hockey including this season.  YHH will be standing by to write his script into college hockey all the way from the Junior Gold ranks of Minnesota Youth Hockey.