By Alexis Demopoulos
A two-year veteran of the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, forward Carl Ericksen found a home there and with the help of his coaches and teammates earned himself an NCAA Division III commitment to St. Olaf College for the 2025-26 season.
Ericksen, an Okempos, Mich., native, signed with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers for the 2023-24 season and tallied nine points in 48 total games. He re-signed with the team for the 2024-25 season and has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 42 games so far.
“I think the Connecticut Jr. Rangers organization does a great job of moving guys on to their desired location, whether that be college or the next level of juniors,” said Ericksen. “The NCDC provided a lot of exposure to my desired schools. I think the location of the NCDC teams allows coaches to easily come watch your games in person.”
Ericksen started communicating with the St. Olaf coaching staff way back during the 2022-23 season when he was playing 18U hockey with Victory Honda. St. Olaf has always been a special place for Ericksen since he was a kid and he had his heart set on playing college hockey there.
“I was first interested in St. Olaf as a lot of my family went to school there,” said Ericksen. “My parents introduced it to me at a young age. When I first visited, I was blown away by the rink and their athletic facilities. On the academic side, I was very impressed by the school’s alumni-to-student connect system. Whatever field you are looking to go into, they do a great job of connecting you with alumni who are in the same field.”
When Ericksen went to visit the campus, he got a taste of what it would be like going to school there and he was hooked. He plans on majoring in economics.
“When I visited the campus, I got a chance to meet a lot of the players,” said Ericksen. “They all seemed like great guys and I got the feeling it would be a good fit for me.”
Ericksen’s greatest strengths include his compete level and his desire to win. However, he is always working to be better and is hoping to get stronger for the college level.
“I will continue to work on getting bigger and stronger which will help me at the next level,” said Ericksen. “I will also continue to work on my confidence and poise with the puck.”
HIs biggest goal right now is to finish out his juniors career strong with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers.
“My goal for the team this season is to continue to win games and work to make a push for the playoffs,” said Ericksen.
The NCDC congratulates Carl Ericksen, his family, the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and St. Olaf College for his commitment.
