Why They Call Him C4: Carson Carels and the Number That Stuck

Carson Carels’ hockey life changed this summer. He got drafted sixth overall by the Flames, committed to college instead of turning pro, and swapped the Western Hockey League for Grand Forks. The one thing he did not change was the number on his back.

North Dakota handed him No. 4 for 2026-27, the same digit he wore in Prince George. Which means the nickname travels with him.

C4. It is the simplest kind of hockey nickname, the first letter of his name bolted to the number on his sweater, and it happens to spell a plastic explosive. Nobody had to force that part. For a defenceman who finishes his checks the way Carels does, the metaphor arrived on its own. The Grand Forks Herald called it “a fitting reference to his name, number and an explosive.” Sportsnet framed it the same way, a play on his initial and his explosive style of play.

The 4 was not always his

Here is the wrinkle most people miss. Back at Pilot Mound Hockey Academy in Manitoba, through his U15 and U17 prep years, Carels wore No. 2. He picked up 4 when he arrived with the Prince George Cougars, wore it for three seasons while turning into one of the best defencemen in the CHL, and kept it straight through his draft year. When UND released its freshman numbers in July, 4 was next to his name again. The nickname was safe.

Grand Forks Herald's Brad Elliott Schlossman on North Dakota's freshman numbers (view post on X)

One point on the arithmetic, because it comes up: the 4 is his jersey number, not his draft position. He went sixth. The joke is about the sweater, and the sweater has not changed since junior.

The profile behind the pun

The reason C4 sticks is that it doubles as a scouting report. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, who ranked Carels the top prospect in Calgary’s system, wrote that he “hits like an absolute truck” and paired that with elite defensive awareness and the shot that produced 20 goals last season. Explosive works as a pun. It works just as well as a scouting report.

The Cougars knew exactly what they had. When Calgary called his name on draft night, Prince George’s own account announced it in the only language that fit: C4, the C of Red, and a very healthy number of exclamation marks.

The number that is sitting open in Calgary

Here is the part that should get Flames fans’ attention. No. 4 goes all the way back to the start of this franchise. The first man to wear it was Noel Price, a well-travelled veteran defenceman who pulled it on for the expansion Atlanta Flames in their very first season, 1972-73, at the age of 37. From there it stayed a blueliner’s number, worn down the years by the likes of Paul Baxter, Brad McCrimmon and Jay Bouwmeester. Most recently it belonged to Rasmus Andersson, who took it in 2018-19 and made it his own. By this past season he was logging more ice time than any other Flame.

Andersson’s 24:14 a night led the team. That is the size of the hole the No. 4 sweater left behind.

Then, in January, the Flames traded him. Andersson went to Vegas for Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe and a pair of draft picks, and Calgary’s most-used defenceman was gone. Whitecloud came the other way and picked No. 28. That leaves the No. 4 packed away in the back of the equipment room. (Small-world footnote: Wiebe, one of the pieces Calgary got back, was a North Dakota defenceman himself before he turned pro, out of the same program Carels is walking into.)

It is still there. Run down Calgary’s 2026-27 blue line and you find Zayne Parekh in 19, Šimon Nemec in 71, Whitecloud in 28, and nobody at all in 4. The number has never been retired. From Noel Price in 1972 to an empty stall in 2026, it is, for the moment, simply unclaimed.

Carels, by the number:

• No. 2 at Pilot Mound Hockey Academy
• No. 4 with the Prince George Cougars
• No. 4 at North Dakota, from 2026-27
• No. 4 sitting open in Calgary

The read

For now the 4 is a college number, and Carels is a North Dakota freshman, not a Flames roster question. That conversation is a year or two away. But the symmetry is hard to miss: the number that gave him his nickname is sitting open in Calgary, with nobody in front of it.

Open is not the same as his. Numbers in this league get earned, not reserved, and Carels has a full college run to play before anyone hangs a Flames 4 in his stall. The locker is empty and the nickname is ready. Now he just has to light the fuse.

Independent commentary. Not affiliated with the Calgary Flames, the Cougars, or UND. Player facts verified against public hockey media as of July 2026.