Born in Ohio, Michael Carden and his family moved to Florida and then to Colorado all by the time he was six years old.

It was once Carden arrived in Colorado that the goaltender’s hockey career took off.

“I played for the Colorado Rampage 13U and 14U AAA teams, and after a hiatus due to my first surgery, I played 16U AAA for the Colorado Thunderbirds,” explained Carden, who now calls Black Forest home. “I actually learned to skate in Al Pederson’s ‘Try Hockey for Free’ events at Monument Ice Rinks when I was seven after moving to Colorado from Florida. My dad was in the military and we ended up moving quite a lot.

“My biggest positives from my time in Colorado were the coaches who pushed me to keep playing. Pat Bingham of the Rampage and Ryan Massa at the University of Denver were some of my biggest supporters and I would be so far behind on my game if it weren’t for them. I may have even stopped playing if they hadn’t given me the tools I needed to recover after my surgeries.”

After youth hockey, Carden moved up to the junior level and spent the 2023-24 season with the USPHL’s Dells Ducks. He’ll stay in the USPHL for the upcoming season after signing to play for the Atlanta MadHatters.

“Last season for me was a rough one,” Carden said. “I struggled to play games because of a severe concussion I got in October. Usually, I would assess a season on personal performance and wins from my team but honestly, I didn’t have a lot to go off. I ended up stuck at my billet house a lot having to get rest, and I unfortunately played about eight games with my concussion, performing about as well as someone would expect.

“The coach here in Atlanta has put together an amazing squad. He pulled guys strong in their faith from across the country to build a team with the strongest bond possible and a couple days into training camp, I can honestly say it’s working. I am expecting a very strong season from the program and honestly think we can make a strong run for division champs.”

As Carden alluded to, faith has helped him fight adversity in his life and hockey career.

“My faith is super important,” he said. “I’ve battled through two hip surgeries and three severe concussions in my career and I can say for certain that there is no way I would be playing it weren’t for my faith. Being an FCA athlete (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) really just ties hockey and my personal life together perfectly. I get the support I need to further my faith, and also the support I need to be the best hockey player and teammate possible.”

Looking ahead, the sky is the limit for Carden.

“My short-term goals are to get called up in to Tier II hockey this season, but also perform in the crease for Atlanta and lock down the title of division champions,” Carden said. “My long-term goals are, of course, to play hockey in college at the highest level I can achieve, but also to pursue an Environmental Law degree.”

Photo/@midwestpixllc

— Matt Mackinder

(August 31, 2023)