A year like few others also has included a college recruiting process like few others. Yet for former Anaheim Jr. Ducks player Andrew DeCarlo it all worked out just fine.

DeCarlo, who played three seasons of Tier 1 hockey with the club – helping his Jr. Ducks teams to the USA Hockey Nationals twice, recently committed to the U.S. Air Force Academy. In the process, he became the 28th player with ties to the club to make an NCAA Division I commitment in the past seven seasons.

“I am super excited,” said DeCarlo, who is playing his third season of junior hockey for the Lone Star Brahmas of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). “At the beginning of the season I started getting calls. Air Force was the best option. Colorado is close to California, and the education there really sets you up for life after college.

“It’s too good to be true.”

The NAHL, like all other North American junior leagues, paused then ended its season last spring because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. DeCarlo was in the midst of a decent season (22 points in 43 games), but the attention ratcheted up with his start to this season. 

The 2000 birth year, who was introduced to hockey through an inline program in Huntington Beach, started the 2020-21 season on a tear – scoring 20 points in his first 14 games.

When he reports to the Academy in June for basic training it will be the first time he’s seen it, or that the Falcons’ coaches have seen him in person in more than 15 months.

“There were no visits either way,” DeCarlo said. “We had a lot of Zoom meetings, and they watched my games online.”

DeCarlo said his three seasons with the Jr. Ducks, from 14U through 16U, were pivotal in his development. He was part of the first Jr. Ducks team that earned a Tier 1 Nationals birth at 14U in 2015, and he went again in 2017 with the 16U team.

“(Coach Sandy) Gasseau helped me a lot at 14U, learning what it takes to succeed in the sport,” DeCarlo recalled. “That was the first season I really got serious about it. He taught us how to take care of our bodies, how to train like a pro.

“That year was a breakout year for me and a lot of other guys. I got a lot of confidence. That’s the first time I could see myself playing D-I.”

Gasseau recalled when DeCarlo joined one of his teams as a 10U player. It was DeCarlo’s first season on ice after 4-5 years of inline hockey.

“It took him a while to get used to the transition, but you could see he had a good head for the game, and he was always willing to learn,” Gasseau said. “He scored a lot of big goals, and distinguished himself as a first-line player.

“His hockey sense and hard work have taken him far.”

DeCarlo also credited his 16U coaches – Craig Johnson, who is also the Jr. Ducks’ Director of Coaches, and Alex Kim, the club’s director of player personnel – for helping him refine his game.

“Craig knows the game as well as anyone,” DeCarlo said. “He really tried to teach us the little details of it. At the time some of it seemed silly, but after playing a few years in junior I can look back and see how he was preparing us for the next level.

“Alex was great with helping me with skill development and creativity. Those have helped my game in junior.”

It’s no stretch to say those years in the Jr. Ducks organization have DeCarlo ready for take-off.