Introduction
Brandon Carlo (born November 26, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Bruins in the second round, 37th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Early life
Carlo was born on November 26, 1996, to parents Angie and Lenny Carlo and three older siblings. Although his elder brother played football, Carlo turned to hockey.
Playing career
Youth
Carlo played minor ice hockey with the Colorado Thunderbirds, and participated in the 2009 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with them. He later played youth hockey at Pine Creek High School before committing to the University of Denver. After playing for the Colorado Thunderbirds U16, Carlo joined the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL) on March 11, 2013. During the 2014–15 WHL season, he was rewarded for his outstanding play when he was selected to take part in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Carlo was rated as a top prospect, projected as a possible first round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Carlo was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round, 37th overall, of the draft, using the Philadelphia Flyers' pick that was sent first to the New York Islanders, then to Boston as part of the Johnny Boychuk trade.
On September 25, 2015, Carlo signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins. At the end of the 2015–16 WHL season and completing his junior career, Carlo joined the Providence Bruins, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins, making his professional debut.
Professional
Having made the Boston Bruins' opening night roster for the 2016–17 season, on October 13, 2016, Carlo made his NHL debut in the Bruins in the season-opening game and scored his first NHL point with an assist against the Columbus Blue Jackets. His first goal came four days later on October 17, 2016, in a win against the Winnipeg Jets. Carlo played as part of the top defensive pairing of the Bruins in the 2016–17 season, alongside former Bruins team captain Zdeno Chára, nearly 20 years Carlo's senior. Following the addition of Charlie McAvoy to the lineup, Carlo was placed in a defensive pairing alongside Torey Krug.
On July 14, 2021, Carlo signed a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension with the Bruins.
International play
At age 16, Carlo was a member of the silver medal-winning Team USA at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and as an 18-year-old he competed with the United States' U20 team at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Colorado Thunderbirds 16U AAA | T1EHL | 40 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Colorado Thunderbirds 16U AAA | T1EHL | 41 | 10 | 37 | 47 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 71 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 66 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 63 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 90 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 52 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 82 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 76 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 72 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 47 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 67 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 33 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2020–21 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 27 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 324 | 15 | 40 | 55 | 196 | 45 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 18 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | United States | IH18 | 
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | United States | WJC | 
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Honors | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament silver medal | 2013 | |
| IIHF World U20 Championship gold medal | 2015 | |
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2015 | |
| IIHF World U20 Championship bronze medal | 2016 | |
| Eddie Shore Award | 2020 |