Carels has been paired on the top defensive pair alongside Brek Liske for Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, which marks the first step towards a spot at the 51st World Junior Championship this winter. He is committed to play college hockey for the University of North Dakota next fall, and it appears he is on the doorstep of playing a big role for Team Canada on home soil.

Carels was selected sixth overall by the Flames, who were rumoured to take him leading up to the draft. He will be huge on the back end and plays on the left side, which is great for him since Parekh and Nemec have the right side locked in.

Carels is considered a consensus top-10 draft pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft following after scoring 20-goals and totaling 73 points in 58 games for the Prince George Cougars (WHL) last season. The 17-year-old lefty a projects as a premier two-way defenseman with high-end speed and elite hockey sense. Carels joined Team Canada at the 2026 World Juniors Championships where he recorded one point in five games in a third-place finish.

Carels owns “a game built around heavy hits, blocked shots, physical engagement, and dependable defensive play. He pounces on loose pucks, closes gaps, and impacts games without needing to dominate the scoresheet,” per Victor Nuno’s on July 18. “Carels has the complete, translatable game that should earn him significant minutes in every situation. If everything comes together, he has the potential to become one of fantasy hockey’s premier multi-category defenders.”

The 6-foot-2 defender will look to flex his muscle on the NCAA scene before trying his hand at the 2027 World Juniors taking place in Edmonton and Red, Deer Alberta, Canada this winter.