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Carter George

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Carter George
Born (2006-05-20) May 20, 2006 (age 19)
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team Los Angeles Kings
NHL draft 57th overall, 2024
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2025–present

Carter George (born May 20, 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 57th overall by the Kings in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

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George played youth hockey for the Thunder Bay Kings of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. He was selected in the third round, 53rd overall, by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2022 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.[1][2] He played for the St. Marys Lincolns of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) for the 2022–23 season before joining the Attack midway through the year.[3]

In his first full season, George served as Owen Sound's starting goaltender. He was named OHL Midwest Division academic player of the month for December 2023,[4] and was selected as one of 40 draft eligible prospects to play in the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.[5] George finished the regular season with a 23–21–9 record and .907 save percentage. The league dubbed him "the OHL's busiest netminder," having stopped a league-high 1,744 shots.[6] Owen Sound qualified for the playoffs, but were swept in four games by the Saginaw Spirit in the first round. The city's Sun Times noted George among the highlights of the year for the team, calling him "worth the price of admission alone."[7] He was named to both the OHL's First All-Rookie Team and its Third All-Star Team,[8] and subsequently to the CHL All-Rookie Team as well.[9] In recognition of his achievements in school, George received the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL's scholastic player of the year and the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award as its top academic high school student; he was the first player since Adam Pelech in 2012 to earn both honours for the same season.[6]

George was taken 57th overall in the second round of the 2024 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He was the third goaltender taken in the draft.[10] On July 25, 2024, George signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings.[11] George participated in pre-season camp activities with the Kings, starting at the Rookie Faceoff event for the Kings and playing in pre-season games, before returning to Owen Sound for the 2024–25 season. He made 47 appearances in net in the regular season, and faced more shots than any goaltender in the league (1,665), managing a .909 save percentage.[12] He was widely credited as the main reason the rebuilding Attack qualified for the postseason,[12] though they were ultimately swept in the first round by the London Knights.[13] George was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team.[14] Following the end of the junior season, he was recalled by the Kings and assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He made his professional debut on April 12, earning a 4–0 shutout victory against the San Jose Barracuda.[15] Ultimately appearing in two games with the Reign during the AHL season, he had a 2–0–0 record and a .984 save percentage, and was then recalled to serve as the Kings' third goaltender during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Kings were defeated in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers, ending his club season. George said afterward that "getting the pro experience, getting a taste of it" was "a great opportunity."[12]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Finland
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Gold medal – first place 2023 Slovakia/Czech Republic

In the summer of 2023, George made his international debut for Canada with the national under-18 team at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Appearing in all of the team's five games, he recorded a .891 save percentage, and made 31 saves in a 3–2 overtime victory against the Czech Republic in the gold medal game.[16] George was invited to rejoin Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships the following summer. Serving as the team's starting goaltender, he played a pivotal role in the team's deep run to the event final. He was named Canada's best player in three of its seven games, including the gold medal game.[17] He was praised as "the difference" for the team in both the semi-final against Sweden and against the United States in the final, where Canada won the gold medal.[18][19] In recognition of his play, George was given the Best Goaltender award by the IIHF directorate, and named to the tournament's Media All-Star Team.[20]

George was named the starting goaltender for the national junior team at the 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, held on home ice in Ottawa. He recorded two shutouts in group stage play against Finland and Germany, and was generally credited as the strongest part of an otherwise underwhelming roster, which ultimately exited the tournament after a quarter-final loss to Czechia.[21] Later in the year, George was invited to join the senior national team in preparations for the 2025 IIHF World Championship. He participated in the training camp and pre-tournament play, and remained as a non-rostered observer at the championship. [22]

Personal life

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George's mother Tara is a curler, and was pregnant with him when she competed at the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts.[23]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2022–23 St. Marys Lincolns GOJHL 17 13 2 1 965 44 1 2.74 .910 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Owen Sound Attack OHL 10 7 3 0 573 23 0 2.41 .924 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Owen Sound Attack OHL 56 23 21 9 3,250 179 4 3.30 .907 4 0 4 235 16 0 4.08 .904
2024–25 Owen Sound Attack OHL 47 17 22 6 2,705 151 0 3.35 .909 4 0 4 239 25 0 6.28 .855
2024–25 Ontario Reign AHL 2 2 0 0 119 1 1 0.50 .984 — — — — — — — —
AHL totals 2 2 0 0 119 1 1 0.50 .984 — — — — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2023 Canada HG18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 4 0 0 266 10 1 2.26 .889
2024 Canada U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 6 0 0 360 14 0 2.33 .915
2025 Canada WJC 5th 4 2 2 0 239 7 2 1.76 .936
Junior totals 15 12 2 0 865 31 3 2.11 .913

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
CHL
All-Rookie Team 2024 [9]
OHL
Bobby Smith Trophy 2024 [6]
Ivan Tennant Memorial Award 2024
First All-Rookie Team 2024 [8]
Third All-Star Team 2024
Second All-Star Team 2025 [14]
International
World U18 Championship Best Goaltender 2024 [20]
World U18 Championship Media All-Star Team 2024

References

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  1. ^ Hoddinott, Greg (October 31, 2023). "Carter George Named OHL Rookie of the Month". Owen Sound Attack. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Russon, Randy (January 13, 2024). "George is the top OHL goalie -". Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Cowan, Greg (January 25, 2024). "Carter George continues to impress ahead of NHL Draft". The Sun Times. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Carter George Named OHL Academic Player of the Month for December". Owen Sound Attack. January 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Cacciotti, Emmah (January 16, 2024). "Rosters announced for 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Sudbury Wolves. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Sweetland, Josh (May 14, 2024). "Attack's George wins Bobby Smith Trophy and Ivan Tennant Memorial Award for academic excellence". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Cowan, Greg (April 4, 2024). "It's all over: Spirit sweep Attack, soar into second round". The Sun Times. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Sweetland, Josh (May 28, 2024). "OHL Announces 2023-24 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Séguin, Christopher (June 2, 2024). "CHL Announces 2023-24 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams presented by CCM". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  10. ^ Brown, Jared (June 29, 2024). "Los Angeles May Have Found A Future No. 1 Goaltender in Carter George". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  11. ^ "LA Kings Sign Goaltender Carter George To a Three-Year Entry-Level Contract | Los Angeles Kings". www.nhl.com. July 25, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c McNeill, Breanna (May 29, 2025). "Attack's George a steadying presence during busy 2024-25 season". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  13. ^ Cowan, Greg (April 4, 2025). "OHL playoffs: London Knights oust Owen Sound Attack in four straight". The London Free Press. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "OHL Announces 2024-25 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams". Canadian Hockey League. May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  15. ^ "Reign Postgame Report: ONT 4, SJ 0". Ontario Reign. April 12, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  16. ^ Dunick, Leith (August 5, 2023). "Canada, Carter George win Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Thunder Bay Newswatch. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Carter George Golden at IIHF Under-18 World Championships". Owen Sound Attack. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  18. ^ Jurewicz, Chris (May 5, 2024). "Canada barely hangs on for semi-final win". IIHF.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (May 5, 2024). "McKenna sparks Canada to gold". IIHF.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Jurewicz, Chris (May 5, 2024). "Hagens named tournament MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Sasvari, Tom (January 8, 2025). "Goalie Carter George the bright spot on World Juniors hockey team". Manitoulin Expositor. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  22. ^ Cowan, Greg (May 8, 2025). "From the World Juniors to the World Championship, Carter George is back with Team Canada". The Sun Times. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  23. ^ "Team Canada goaltender Carter George moulds his mind to help tame an uncontrollable game". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
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