This is the story of how Michael Carcone went from an undrafted player to a pivotal piece for the Coyotes.
The Arizona Coyotes 8-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks was special in many different ways but specifically for forward Michael Carcone.
Carcone scored his first NHL career hat trick on Monday night but to get to this point wasn’t easy for the 27-year-old.
To hear your name get called out at the NHL draft is every kid's dream thriving to play professional hockey. However in 2016, Carcone went undrafted, the first of many challenges he would have to face in his professional hockey career.
He ultimately signed a three-year entry level contract with the Vancouver Canucks which was all he needed to just keep his dream of playing in the NHL alive.
Through the years, Carcone’s road would not get any easier by any means. He played for multiple NHL team’s AHL affiliates including the Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators.
While Carcone was playing well in the AHL, he could never truly seem to find a permanent home. That would all change in 2021.
On February 5, 2021, he was loaned to the Coyotes AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. During his first season in Tucson, Carcone thrived scoring 15 goals, 10 assists and 25 points. It would only get better from there.
He would finally get his chance in the NHL during the 2021-22 season playing a total of 21 games for the Coyotes.
Despite just playing nine games for the Coyotes the next season, Carcone was the Roadrunners best player as he tallied a whopping 31 goals, 54 assists and 85 points in 65 games.
That leads to this current year where Carcone has carved out a permanent role on the Coyotes and now is one of few people that can say they scored a hat trick in an NHL game.
Following his impressive feat last night, Carcone was emotional and deservingly so.
“It's pretty crazy. I'm not gonna lie. I haven't really got to digest it too much obviously right now,” Carcone said. “It's been a while in the American League, obviously, so yeah, just proud of myself, proud of my linemates and yeah, on to the next one.”
The Coyotes took a chance on Carcone and it seems like it has paid off. He currently serves a critical role for the team playing a scrappy and hard-nosed game that has led to a ton of personal success this year.
All he can do is be thankful for the people that helped him get to this point.
“It takes a lot of hard work and you know what, I gotta give credit donor (Shane Doan),” Carcone said. “He's been on my side and helped me along the way here and same with big bear (André Tourigny) so without those guys and Steven Potven and John Slaney down in the minors, it's not possible. Those guys really believed in me and they've been helping me out over the last couple years, so I gotta give all the credit to them to,”
All it takes is belief and hard work to be successful in life. Carcone bet on himself and grinded in the AHL for years and now he is amongst the greatest hockey players in the world playing the sport he loves.