Capitals’ John Carlson Reaches 1,100 Games: A Look Back at His Career to Date – The Hockey Writers Capitals History Latest News, Analysis & More

He started with the Bears the following season, but was called up to the NHL on November 20, 2009. At age 19, Carlson was the youngest player to make his debut with the team since Alexander Semin in the 2003-2004 season. He bounced between the Bears and Capitals until March of that season and was honored as the Bears’ Rookie of the Year and top defensive player.

The 2010 Playoffs were important for Carlson. He played in the playoffs for both the Capitals and Bears and found success at both levels. In the Capitals conference quarterfinals, Carlson played in all seven games. He earned his first NHL playoff point and scored his first playoff goal in that series. His goal in Game 2 forced overtime and Nicklas Backstrom was able to secure the victory for their team. After the Capitals were eliminated, Carlson went to Hershey to help the Bears in their playoff efforts. He helped the team claim their Calder Cup victory two goals and four assists.

Carlson will join the NHL full-time

The 2010–11 season was Carlson’s first full season in the NHL. He finished the season with seven goals and 30 assists, tying a franchise record for most points by a rookie defenseman. In 2014, the blueliner was selected for the United States Olympic team, which was headed to Sochi, Russia. He played six games at the Olympic Games, scoring one goal and one assist. 2014 brought another milestone for Carlson as he became the first defenseman in Capitals history to play 300 consecutive games in Washington.

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That season he finished with a career-high performance of 12 goals and 43 assists. He was selected to Team USA for the 2016 Hockey World Cup; However, he played only two matches and failed to score any points in that tournament due to injury.

Stanley Cup Championship and continued success

The 2017-2018 season saw an incredible jump in Carlson’s success. With the exception of his career high season, he had averaged point totals in the 30s so far in his career. He was given a lot more responsibility in the 2017-18 season, as the Capitals lost three defensemen in the offseason and Matt Niskanen was injured early. He finished the season with an impressive 68 points, earning the first defenseman since Mike Green in 2009-2010 to record at least 60 points in a season.

Carlson played a huge role in the Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship run. Not only did he bring a veteran presence and playoff experience to the team, but he also scored five goals and 15 assists in 24 games. Carlson was a well-deserved Stanley Cup champion after nine seasons in the league. The defenseman was selected to represent the Capitals at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game for his efforts in the 2018-19 season. He ultimately finished with 70 points, a new career high.

Carlson reached another career high the following season, when he finished with 15 goals and 60 assists in 69 games. He was also named one of the Capitals’ alternate captains that season following the retirement of Brooks Orpik. Although he has held that title since, he has not achieved the level of success he had in 2019-2020.

Carlson becomes a legend of the Capitals

The 2019-2020 season saw Carlson breaking record after record. His accolades from that season are numerous, including becoming the fourth defenseman in NHL history to record 20 or more points through October. He was also the fastest player since 1988-89. He finished with 23 points that month, a new franchise record for most points by a blueliner in a single month. He snapped a seven-game scoring streak in November, scored his 100th career goal in December and became the fastest Capitals defenseman to score 45 points since the 1990–91 season.

Carlson was selected to a second consecutive NHL All-Star Game in 2020. Prior to the event, he became the fastest defenseman in Capitals history to score 60 points. At the All-Star Game, he was the first defenseman in team history to score a goal. He also became the team’s leader in both assists and points by a defenseman, passing Calle Johansson for both records. Before the league paused play due to COVID-19, he led all NHL blueliners with 75 points.

In the 2020-2021 season, Carlson reached three major milestones: 500 points, 400 assists and 800 games. The following season he also broke several records. He became the first defenseman in Washington history to record five seasons with at least 40 assists. He also set a personal best: a career goals record, achieved with his 16th goal against the Arizona Coyotes. He also became the 18th defenseman in NHL history to score 70 points in three or more seasons.

Carlson played his 1,000th NHL game in 2024, becoming the first defenseman and third Capitals player to reach that milestone with just one team. He scored his 149th career goal in that game, becoming the ninth NHL defenseman to score in their milestone game. With his next goal he became the Capitals’ all-time leader in goals scored by defenderby Kevin Hatcher. Carlson also etched his name in NHL history by providing the first assist on Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th goal.

There’s no denying that Carlson, now 35 years old, will go down in history as one of the Capitals’ greatest players. He has played alongside Ovechkin throughout his career, and the two will represent the end of an era when they retire. Carlson currently holds the franchise records for goals, assists, points and games played among defensemen and ranks third in games played, 17th in goals, third in assists and fifth in points among all Capitals skaters.