Photo by Edward Jacobs / Team Shred Photography
By Alexis Demopoulos
A two-year defenseman for the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, Lucas Karlsson has worked hard to get to where he is today and with the help of his team has earned himself an NCAA Division III commitment to Stevenson University.
“I am excited to announce my commitment where I’ll continue my academics and hockey at Stevenson University,” said Karlsson. “I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, and my family who have all supported me along the way.”
Karlsson played in 25 games a season ago for the Spud Kings tallying seven assists. He returned this season and has been a force on the blue line and earned an All-Star nod for the Mountain team last month. In 28 games this season, Karlsson has 11 total points (one goal, 10 assists).
“Lucas is a tremendous human being, which is why he was named one of our captains for this season,” said Erik Hudson, the GM of the Idaho Falls Spud Kings. “Seeing him commit to a great institution like Stevenson to continue his academics and athletics is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The Idaho Fall Spud Kings have been a great place for Karlsson to call home the past two seasons and he is thankful to have been able to showcase his skills in the NCDC.
“The Spud Kings are a great organization with a great staff,” said Karlsson. “For me it was an easy decision to return as we are looking to take it all the way. We always want to win and I think this team is able to do that. The coaches are always helping by reaching out to schools and we have the showcases. A lot of schools come there to scout, so the league gives you chances to play in front of a lot of coaches.”
Karlsson has been in communication with the coaching staff since the beginning of the season and they have not stopped talking since then. The coaches at Stevenson liked his “defensive side of the game and how he is able to make good plays in the defensive zone.”
Karlsson liked the idea of attending Stevenson because of its beautiful campus, its proximity to his family’s house and the competitive hockey. Also, he plans to major in business administration which will give him plenty of job opportunities after college.
“Stevenson is a great school on the hockey side of things and is always making a run for the championship,” said Karlsson. “It’s also a really good academic school which will be great for my life after school as it’s going to give me a lot of opportunities. It’s a beautiful campus. It’s also close to Baltimore as well as Washington, D.C., so you can always go see the major sports events. It’s also very close to my family house, so it’s awesome to be able to see my family on an off-weekend.”
Karlsson feels the strongest part of his game is being able to break the puck out, being able to stop rushes and being in the right position in the defensive zone. He hopes to work on being more of an offensive threat when he gets to Stevenson.
“I want to work more on my offensive side of the game and be a bigger threat in the offensive zone,” said Karlsson.
Karlsson hopes his Spud Kings team can finish strong and can win a Dineen Cup. The Spud Kings currently stand in first place in the Mountain Division with a 31-6-2-0 record and have already clinched a playoff spot.
“I want to give them my everything for the rest of the year and hopefully we can achieve our goal of going all the way,” said Karlsson.
The NCDC congratulates Lucas Karlsson, his family, the Idaho Falls Spud Kings and Stevenson University for his commitment.
