Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1541160
"I don't know any other way to help players if you are not being pushed to your limits and being held accountable." The head coach, general manager and team president's example benefits the entire league, Glenn Hefferan, USHL president and commissioner, said. "His unwavering commitment to the USHL, our players, and the RoughRiders' faithful is a core piece to his success, and his ability to advocate for long-term player development has helped our league become a steady pipeline for NCAA and NHL talent," Hefferan said. Many of Carlson's fellow USHL coaches expressed their respect via social media, including Sioux City coach Jason Kersner. "Your commitment to excellence sets the standard in this league and this achievement is further proof of that," he said. "Your record speaks not only to your success behind the bench but the influence you have had on all the young coaches around the league." Those interactions help Carlson too. "I just love talking hockey and I learn from other coaches all the time that way," he said. "Learning from and helping others is something I really enjoy." As always, it's back to work. The Monday after that historic weekend featured weight train- ing, video sessions and practice, like most any non-gameday during the season. "The USHL is the best devel- opmental league in the world and those are the reasons why," the former UMass-Lowell player said. "All of our teams are com- mitted to making our players bet- ter. People think it's boring, but that is how we go about our week and our season." It's not dull when it works in a city that's the right fit. Carlson—an 11th-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987—and his family are woven into the local hockey community. The former UMass-Lowell and Northeastern assistant coach could have moved on, but he stayed in Cedar Rapids, where he met his wife, Tammy, the franchise's director of sales/groups and operations, and where they raised their now-adult sons, Dustin and Brayton. His mother, Fran, lives in the area, making Iowa truly home. "We have arguably the best junior league facility and great own- ership in a tremendous town," Carlson concluded. "That makes it special. Then having the opportunity to work with kids ages 16-20, with the occasional 15-year-old, is an absolute thrill. It feels the same to me today as when I first started." P AMERICAN JUNIOR HOCKEY SPOTLIGHT 26 // NOV/DEC 2025 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS COURTESY Cedar Rapids Roughriders p Mark Carlson set a USHL record with his 779th career regular-season victory. I love nothing more than seeing our players improve and reach their goals, whether it is hockey or outside of hockey." qSuKMtoGgIw VIDEO | MARK CARLSON WINNINGEST USHL COACH