Bjarnason's work ethic paying off ahead of 2023 NHL Draft

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at goalie Carson Bjarnason from Brandon of the Western Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

One of Carson Bjarnason's biggest supporters was his grandfather, Doug Mathison.

"He was my No. 1 fan," Bjarnason said. "He just died last year, in February. It was tough but he lives on and I think about him every day."

Of the all the memories and moments Carson shared with his grandfather, none stands out more than Mathison's songbook. It's something they bonded over as Bjarnason learned to play guitar, for fun and as a way to de-stress from his hockey.

"He just kind of wrote it up, songs that he made on his own and then songs that he listened to and played along with," Bjarnason said. "He wrote everything in that book and then just kind of played it at his leisure.

"It's nice to have. You kind of look at it and open it up and you see his writing and you can just remember him by that."

Bjarnason is creating his own memories on the ice. The 17-year-old -- he turns 18 on June 30 -- was 21-19-6 with a 3.08 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and three shutouts in 47 games this season for Brandon of the Western Hockey League.

He's No. 1 among North American goalies in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings presented by BioSteel.

"The presence that he has, the confidence and the poise, the skill level that he has at this point in his career, it's amazing," said Al Jensen of Central Scouting. "His mechanics are excellent and he's got great feet. Extremely skilled, very good quickness.

"I think his overall net coverage, he's got great size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds), fantastic butterfly; it's very efficient. He rarely leaves any holes. He just has that upside, and the moment that you see him you can tell he's a quality goalie."

It was an adjustment this season for Bjarnason, who held the No. 1 role after backing up Ethan Kruger last season.

"It was good," Bjarnason said. "Obviously there's always ups and downs, nothing too major for me this year. Couple of trades before the deadline, we had a coaching change halfway through the year. New experiences. Glad to have them now and learn from them for later on."

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Brandon general manager Marty Murray, who took over as coach Nov. 28, didn't need much time to see what kind of goalie he had.

"Early in the year (Oct. 12-19) when the guys went out on their [British Columbia] trip, we had some games where we probably were fortunate to come out ahead and got outshot and outchanced, and I thought that Carson really held his ground and was kind of the difference-maker on that road trip," Murray said. "For me that was kind of the telling point where he was capable of leading our team and not only leading our team but being a really good goalie at the junior level as a 17-year-old."

That's not bad for a goalie who was passed over as a 15-year-old in the 2020 WHL bantam draft, in part because he was 5-9. But Bjarnason, who grew up about 30 miles east of Brandon in Carberry, Manitoba, was added to the Wheat Kings' protected list.

When he arrived for training camp the following season, Bjarnason had sprouted to 6-3.

"Dad's probably around 6-foot, brother (Ethan, 19) is the same and my mom's about 5-5," Bjarnason said. "Just got lucky for sure."

Good luck for Bjarnason and Brandon led to bad luck for opposing shooters.

"I've never scored on him," said Regina center Connor Bedard, expected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, who led the WHL with 71 goals. "Two games I've played him and he's got a few nice saves on me."

Winnipeg left wing Zach Benson, who was third in the WHL with 98 points (36 goals, 62 assists) and is No. 6 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, said, "Obviously his size is super good, but his positioning is unbelievable. You get on a breakaway, there's not much room to shoot at. And if you kind of pick your spot, he's so quick that he usually gets there."

Brandon center Nate Danielson, No. 7 among North American skaters, improved his game through daily battles with Bjarnason during practice.

"He's a really special goalie," Danielson said. "Size is a big thing for goalies nowadays and he's got that. I just think that his composure in the net is something that many goalies don't have. He always looks calm in there and under control, and never really anything ever fazes him."

And if something does faze him, he's got his guitar to relax, as well as his sketchbook. Landscapes and animals are his usual subjects, but he also designed his goalie gear.

"I drew my mask and Brian Shott down in Thunder Bay, Ontario, he put it on the mask," Bjarnason said. "He used my bear drawing on the side there.

"All the designs, all the retro, I drew the waffles. It's always been something I've kind of liked. I drew my first ever painted mask when I was 14. I just like seeing my own stuff translated onto your gear. ... I have my grandpa's guitar on the back of my mask that I drew and all my family members. There's a personal side to it and then there's a flashy side."

Bjarnason also likes to draw goalies he looks up to, including Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. They have a lot in common, from size (Price is 6-3, 217) to their WHL pedigree and their love of the guitar.

"Just the way he handles himself in good and bad situations, you rarely if ever see him get startled or get rattled or anything," Bjarnason said. "And when he is playing, he has that poise and kind of stoicness to his game. And that's something I've always kind of been dragged towards and try and model after.

"And he has great movement, and especially his hockey IQ. That's a big thing moving into the next level. For him to portray that in such an elite way and elite level, it's something that I definitely model after."

There's something else Bjarnason and Price could have in common: being starters in the NHL.

"You can see the progression he's already made through the year, how he's progressed and what you can see in the future," Jensen said. "I just think he's got an excellent chance to be a quality NHL starter someday."

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