Throughout a grueling 20-game season that saw the upstart Honey Badgers fight their way to relevance and ultimately bag a league title, one thing was missing for the fledgling club: the calming influence of a head coach. That won't be an issue in 2012-13, which is the first behind the bench for Quinn Carlson. Carlson spent the majority of last winter in an unofficial role with the Honey Badgers, working as the head of pro scouting and assisting with gameday preparation. Carlson's transition to the boot hockey coaching ranks should be an easy one, as he takes control of a squad oozing with talent and lacking nothing in the way of experience on the boots. He is expected to instill a team-first mentality based on significant puck control, a consistently lethal power play and making big plays in transition. Carlson served as an assistant coach under current team captain Troy Thompson on the West Duluth Senior League baseball circuit prior to joining the Honey Badger staff.
A native of Duluth, Minn., Carlson graduated from Denfeld High School (which he attended with four current Honey Badgers) in 2006 before going on to obtain a degree in finance from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011. Carlson, 25, resides in the Duluth Heights neighborhood.