Paul Carey hopes build off of career year as free agency looms

You would never be able to guess Paul Carey has only played twelve playoff games in his professional career. The 28-year-old has had a successful career in both the AHL and NHL, including a career season with Hershey this year, but a recall to Washington as an extra body late in the year found him sitting a lot to finish off the year.

“Wasn’t ideal the way it finished up,” said Carey Friday. “Losing twice isn’t fun. That wasn’t what I envisioned coming into the year for playoffs. I was hoping to get a lot more experience, go on a longer run. Only playing six games in the last couple months after having a season like that wasn’t ideal. Still a lot of good things I can take a year and build on and move onto next year.”

After missing Hershey’s Calder Cup run last season due to a shoulder injury, Carey posted a stat line of 24 goals, 31 assists for 55 points with Hershey in 55 games for the Bears. He also had a 19-game point streak lasting two months where he scored eight goals and 22 points for the Bears.

Those accomplishments earned him multiple recalls to Washington, which Carey viewed as an excellent opportunity. “It was a great learning experience for me being up there on that club with those guys. A lot of good players. You can really learn a lot from those guys and how they go about their job and take care of business. They were disappointed with the way their season ended as well. They’re total pros. I learned a lot from them. I was hoping to carry that down here and help out these guys as much as I could. We just didn’t have what it took to move on.”

Now, Carey finds himself a free agent once again. Despite rumors of possibly signing overseas in Europe, the Boston native hopes to stay stateside. “Definitely hit the reset button this summer and see what my options are. Most likely stick around here and try to find a job in the States.

“As of now, that’s where my head’s at. I feel like I’ve got a couple of years of good hockey to play over here. Whether it’s this level or the next. Europe would be something in the cards at some point, not sure when.

“Obviously, the NHL is still my dream. I’m hoping to stay there and make a career out of that, but you never know what happens. I’ll regroup with my agent and family and figure it out from there.”

If Carey does stay in the US, there’s a chance he could be giving USA Hockey an easy look at his game as he is a top candidate for the US Olympic team next year if the current non-NHL agreement stays in place. “That would be pretty special, but that’s pretty far away, and a lot of things would have to go right or a certain way for that to happen,” he said, visibly excited by the thought. “I’ll be ready, and I’d love the opportunity to represent my country.”