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By Joe Paisley 24 // NOV/DEC 2025 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM T'S NO COINCIDENCE Mark Carlson, the head coach of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, was preparing for another game a day after setting a hockey milestone. You don't register a United States Hockey League-record 779 career regular-season victories without that kind of focus. "It was a special weekend, but my focus has always been on helping my guys improve and by doing that, helping us win games," Carlson said. It's that emphasis on player develop- ment that has led to success and longevity for the Lawrenceville, New Jersey, native, 56, who also added to his USHL mark for all-time regular-season games coached (1,500) when he surpassed the wins record on Oct. 3. The longest-tenured USHL bench boss is the only coach Cedar Rapids has had since its 1999-2000 inaugural season, cap- turing three regular-season Anderson Cup titles (2005, 2011 and 2016) along with the Tier-1 junior league's 2005 Clark Cup playoff championship. The record-breaking 3-2 home victo- ry over the Lincoln Stars pushed Carlson ahead of P.K. O'Handley, who accrued 778 wins as a coach for the North Iowa Huskies and Waterloo Black Hawks before stepping down from Waterloo in 2021. It is the players' success on and off the ice that makes Carlson most proud. The RoughRiders have produced more than 500 NCAA Division I college hockey players, nearly 40 NHL alumni, three Hobey Baker winners (Andy Miele, Adam Gaudette, Scott Perunovich), and two Stanley Cup champi- ons (Ross Colton, Alec Martinez). He also led Team USA to 2008 and 2009 World Junior A Challenge titles. In 2009, he was named the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Development Coach of The Year. "I love nothing more than seeing our play- ers improve and reach their goals, whether it is hockey or outside of hockey," he said. "I am always talking to our guys about those in college, the NHL or the American Hockey League. It's a huge credit to those players and something we talk about, emphasizing their willingness to work hard and accept hard coaching." That loving, but no-nonsense approach, exemplified by Carlson's late businessman father Bob, is synonymous with the program. "We're very demanding, but we also believe we show that we love them and do want the best for them," Carlson said. I AMERICAN JUNIOR HOCKEY SPOTLIGHT PHOTOS COURTESY Cedar Rapids Roughriders ICON ON THE BENCH Mark Carlson, Head Coach Of The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Becomes Winningest Coach In USHL History p Mark Carlson has been the head coach of the Cedar Rapids Roughriders since the team's inaugural season in 1999-2000.