Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 30, 2026

Carson Bjarnason

Carson Bjarnason is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers selected him in the second round, 51st overall, of the 2023 NHL entry draft.

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Carson Bjarnason
Born (2005-06-30) June 30, 2005
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Philadelphia Flyers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)
NHL draft 51st overall, 2023
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2025–present

Carson Bjarnason (born June 30, 2005) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers selected him in the second round, 51st overall, of the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Early life

Bjarnason was born June 30, 2005, in Brandon, Manitoba,1 and he was raised in nearby Carberry.2 He did not begin playing ice hockey until the age of nine, when he joined Carberry's minor ice hockey program. From there, he played with the Southwest Cougars of the Manitoba U-18 'AAA' Hockey League, and with the RINK Hockey Academy.34 He had a 10–7–2 record with a .913 save percentage (SV%) in his final season with the Cougars, as well as a .914 SV% and 2.01 goals against average (GAA) in two starts for RINK.5

Playing career

Junior

Although Bjarnason was not selected by any Western Hockey League (WHL) team in their bantam draft, he joined the Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2021–22 season to begin his junior ice hockey career.6 After a successful training camp, Bjarnason opened the season as the backup goaltender to Ethan Kruger.7 His first WHL win came on October 10, in a 4–2 victory over the Regina Pats.8 Bjarnason struggled in his first eight games, with a 4.69 GAA and .866 SV%, in large part due to injuries to Kruger and other Wheat Kings leaving him unprepared.9 He finished his rookie season with a 4.00 GAA and .882 SV% in 23 games.10 Many of those appearances came early in the season, when the Wheat Kings had so many injured players that they struggled to dress 18 skaters per game.4

With Kruger out of junior hockey, Bjarnason returned to the Wheat Kings as their starting goaltender for the 2022–23 season.1112 He recorded his first career shutout on October 21, stopping all 29 shots he faced against the Kelowna Rockets.13 In January, he participated in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, stopping 16 of 17 shots he faced for Team Red.14 The jump to a full-time workload took a toll on Bjarnason's health, as he had only played 44 games the last three seasons combined. He missed a stretch of games between February 15 and March 10 with a hip flexor overuse injury.4 In 47 appearances, Bjarnason had a 21–19–5–1 record with a 3.08 GAA and .900 SV%, his performance diminishing due to injuries towards the end of the season.15 He received several end-of-season team awards, including Wheat Kings MVP.16

Bjarnason once again served as Brandon's starting goaltender for the 2023–24 season.17 He missed a month of the season with a nagging injury, ultimately putting up a 24–17–4–1 record, 3.01 GAA, and .907 SV% in 46 appearances.18 At the end of the season, he was named to the WHL East Division Second All-Star Team.19

In his final season of junior ice hockey play, Bjarnason shifted from the full-time starting goalie to sharing a tandem with Ethan Eskit, who had been his backup the previous year.20 Although he was hindered by a meniscus injury in the latter half of the season,21 Bjarnason put up a 22–15–3–0 record, 2.93 GAA, and .913 SV% in 40 games.22 He was also a nominee for the Del Wilson Trophy, awarded to the top WHL goaltender of the year.23

Professional

The Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL) selected Bjarnason in the second round, with the 51st overall pick, of the 2023 NHL entry draft.24 He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team that September.25

Bjarnason began his professional hockey career with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.26 When the NHL was on break in February for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Bjarnason was recalled to practice with the NHL squad. At the time, he was 11–7–3 with an .889 SV% and 3.08 GAA.27 In April, he played two games with the Reading Royals of the ECHL, going 1–1–0 with a .881 SV% and 3.57 GAA in that time.28 Serving as the youngest goaltender during the 2025–26 AHL season, Bjarnason went 11–14–4 in his rookie season, with a .877 SV% and 3.43 GAA in the process.29

International play

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World U18 Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Switzerland
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Canada

Bjarnason first represented the Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Red Deer, Alberta.30 He appeared in one tournament game, stopping 20 shots in a 9–1 win over Slovakia en route to a gold medal win.31 The next year, he returned to the under-18 national team for the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships in Switzerland.32 He went 4–2–0 with a 3.51 GAA and .849 SV% in six tournament appearances, capturing a bronze medal in the process.25

Bjarnason was named to the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team for the 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Canada,33 although he did not appear in a game.34

Personal life

Bjarnason is of Red River Métis and Icelandic descent on his father's side.335

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2021–22 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 23 8 10 1 1,139 76 0 4.00 .882 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 47 21 19 6 2,725 140 3 3.08 .900 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 46 24 17 5 2,670 134 2 3.01 .907 4 0 4 176 21 0 7.15 .831
2024–25 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 40 22 15 3 2,335 114 1 2.93 .913 3 0 3 172 12 0 4.19 .870
2025–26 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 32 14 11 4 1,801 103 0 3.43 .877 — — — — — — — —
2025–26 Reading Royals ECHL 2 1 1 0 118 7 0 3.57 .881 — — — — — — — —
AHL totals 32 14 11 4 1,801 103 0 3.43 .877 — — — — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2022 Canada HG18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1 1 0 60 1 0 1.00 .950
2023 Canada U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 4 1 273 16 1 3.52 .849
Junior totals 7 5 1 333 17 1 2.43 .865

Source: 36

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref.
WHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2023 14
East Division Second All-Star Team 2024 19
References

References

  1. "Carson Bjarnason Stats and News". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  2. Mahon, Rob (April 8, 2025). "Bright future, fond memories: Bjarnason leaves strong legacy on and off ice as a Wheat King". CKLQ-FM. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  3. Taylor, Scott (October 29, 2023). "Wheat Kings' Métis Star Preps for the Big Time". Game On Hockey. Archived from the original on February 14, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  4. Bergson, Perry (June 27, 2023). "Bjarnason's unusual path leads to Nashville". The Brandon Sun. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  5. "Wheat Kings Sign Four Prospects". Canadian Hockey League. Brandon Wheat Kings. September 14, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  6. "Wheat Kings Camp: Bjarnason back on track for WHL dream". The Brandon Sun. September 7, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  7. Bergson, Perry (September 29, 2021). "New goaltending tandem eager to connect". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  8. Bergson, Perry (October 10, 2021). "Wheaties rebound to earn first road win". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  9. Bergson, Perry (December 20, 2021). "Mid-term report: Wheat Kings building after tough start". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  10. Bergson, Perry (May 12, 2022). "Brandon players grew in tough season". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  11. Bergson, Perry (September 1, 2022). "BWK training camp preview: Trio battling for jobs in goal". The Brandon Sun. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  12. Bergson, Perry (September 24, 2022). "2022–23 Wheat Kings Team Preview". Canadian Hockey League. Brandon Wheat Kings. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  13. Punkari, Lucas (October 21, 2022). "Bjarnason stymies Rockets for first career shutout". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  14. Schram, Carol (January 26, 2023). "CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Showcased 2023 Draft Class Depth". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  15. Bergson, Perry (April 12, 2023). "Murray reviews each Wheat Kings player's year". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  16. "Wheat Kings announce Team Award winners". Canadian Hockey League. Brandon Wheat Kings. March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  17. Bergson, Perry (September 22, 2023). "A breakdown of the 2023–24 Wheat Kings". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  18. Bergson, Perry (April 11, 2024). "A player-by-player look at the Wheaties". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  19. Rocca, Taylor (March 26, 2024). "WHL names 2023–24 East Division Second All-Star Team". Canadian Hockey League. Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  20. Bergson, Perry (August 28, 2024). "Wheat Kings camp 2024: Goaltending duo provides some stability". The Brandon Sun. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  21. Spiegel, Jackie (August 8, 2025). "Inside Flyers goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason's meticulous approach to training both his body and mind". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  22. Bergson, Perry (April 15, 2025). "Players grew in 2024–25 WHL campaign". The Brandon Sun. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  23. "Bjarnason named a finalist for WHL's top goalie". The Brandon Sun. April 9, 2025. Archived from the original on April 11, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  24. Hall, Jordan (June 29, 2023). "Flyers move into 2nd round, take a highly-ranked goalie who follows Hart". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  25. "Flyers Sign Carson Bjarnason to a Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  26. "Phantoms Announce Season Opening Roster". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. October 9, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  27. "Transactions: Bjarnason, Bonk, McDonald Returned to Phantoms". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. February 19, 2025. Archived from the original on March 8, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  28. "Transactions: Bjarnason Returns to Phantoms". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. April 6, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  29. "Transactions: Five More Recalled to Flyers". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. April 22, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  30. "Bjarnason makes Hlinka Gretzky Cup team". The Brandon Sun. July 25, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  31. Bergson, Perry (August 10, 2022). "Bjarnason thrilled with Hockey Canada experience". The Brandon Sun. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  32. Bergson, Perry (April 17, 2023). "Bjarnason joins Canada's U18 team". The Brandon Sun. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  33. "Five Flyers Prospects to Play in World Junior Championship". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. December 22, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  34. Meltzer, Bill (January 3, 2025). "Friday Forecheck: Brink of a Breakthrough". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  35. Masters, Mark (June 25, 2023). "Top-ranked goalie Bjarnason ready to prove himself again after NHL draft". The Sports Network. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  36. "2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup – Carson Bjarnason". Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
External links