Brandon Carlo believes he has grown to his current level because of his roots.

A standout defenseman for the Boston Bruins, Carlo is a native of Colorado Springs. Carlo has helped the Bruins attain the NHL’S best record, 5311-5, while recording three goals and 12 assists in 63 games.

He now plays two time zones and over 1,000 miles away, but Carlo has never abandoned his background.

“I think Colorado Springs is where a lot of things started for me,” Carlo said.

Front Range roots

Carlo attended Pine Creek High School for two years while playing club hockey for the Colorado Thunderbirds.

With the Thunderbirds, Carlo teamed with Dylan Gambrell, who currently plays for the Ottawa Senators. Those two were a strong duo, helping the Thunderbirds achieve on-ice success while Carlo recorded 47 points.

It also introduced Carlo to one of his greatest hockey influences: Angelo Ricci.

Ricci, the executive director for the Thunderbirds, doubles as the Philadelphia Flyers’ skills coach. Needless to say, Ricci’s expertise as a skills coach allowed Carlo to sharpen his game in every aspect.

Just as beneficial as Ricci’s on-ice training, though, the coach taught Carlo to be a professional off the ice.

“Kind of where you start wearing suits to the game, trying to be more respectful on the road and at dinners and stuff,” Carlo said. “All that off-ice stuff helped me transition.”

New territory

Between playing with other high-level Coloradans and learning from an intelligent hockey mind like Ricci, Carlo felt prepared for his next step.

Carlo moved to Washington before his junior year of high school to play with the Tri-city Americans of the Western Hockey League. The WHL is one of three leagues in the Canadian Hockey League, the highest level of junior hockey in Canada.

For someone who had lived in Colorado his entire life, Carlo said it wasn’t an easy decision.

“For a U.S. guy, it’s kind of an unconventional route to go to the Canadi

an Hockey League,” Carlo said. “I really wanted to focus on hockey at that time and give it my best go at the pro level. I sat down, talked to my parents, coaches at the time and made that decision.”

But it also didn’t take long for Carlo to realize he made the correct choice.

Carlo thrived in his three seasons with the Americans, helping them reach the playoffs twice. He totaled 65 points in that span, 54 of which were assists.

Before his third season with Tri-city, Carlo earned his next chance: The Boston Bruins selected him with the 37th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Carlo played one more season for the Americans before joining the Bruins’ organization.

Just like playing for the Thunderbirds helped him adjust to the WHL, his time in Tri-city allowed him to adjust well to the professional ranks.

“You get that experience under your belt of being somewhere besides home,” Carlo said. “The pro schedule aligns really well with the WHL schedule. I think that helped me with the transition to the NHL, with me being able to manage my schedule better. The WHL’S a great avenue for the NHL.”

Becoming a pro

After a short stint with the Providence Bruins (Boston’s America Hockey League affiliate) in 2015-16, Carlo joined Boston to start the 2016-17 season and hasn’t gone down since.

In 466 career games over seven seasons, Carlo has recorded 24 goals and 61 assists (85 points). Carlo earned the Bruins’ Eddie Shore award in 2020, given to a player who “demonstrates exceptional hustle and determination.”

Carlo has been reliable in every year of his career, but the 2022-23 season has arguably been his best.

In addition to 15 points on the year, Carlo is tied for third in the NHL with a 38 plus-minus. The only two players ahead of them are his Bruins teammates Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk.

“Brandon Carlo’s been terrific. His confidence, offensively, has really grown,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “He’s always been a monster defensively; he shuts plays down and gets us out of our end real quick.”

His success has correlated to team success, as the Bruins are comfortably in first place in the Eastern Conference and the NHL as a whole. The Bruins made history on March 11, becoming the fastest team in NHL history to 50 wins.

Different scenery and experiences for different teams have allowed Carlo to thrive at hockey’s highest level.

“I think with each experience, I’ve had great mentors,” Carlo said. “I think, for me, I’m always open to the idea of learning as much as I can from the guys that I look up to. I’ve done that my whole life, starting with the Thunderbirds, and carrying that through.”

Staying close to Colorado from afar

Carlo hasn’t lived full-time in Colorado in over a decade. But it’s still where he considers home.

His family still resides in north Colorado Springs, and Carlo owns a house in the Denver area, where he lives in the summer.

He also, occasionally, visits months for “business trips.”

Because the Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche are in different conferences, they only play twice a year — once at TD Garden in Boston, and once at Ball Arena. But when the Bruins do make the trip to the front range, it’s always a special trip.

Most recently, the Bruins beat the Avs 4-0 at Ball Arena in December — and many of his friends and relatives were in town for the shutout.

“I feel like I have 100 people out there,” Carlo said. “I can’t believe that I get to play on that stage because it’s always been my dream. It’s super special.”

Carlo grew up an Avs fan. He recalls watching their games when he should’ve been doing homework, and he even rubbed elbows with Avalanche greats Joe Sakic and Adam Foote while playing for the Thunderbirds.

That makes every trip to Ball Arena even more special, and he’d love to schedule a few more unplanned visits.

The Avs are the defending champs and comfortably in the Western Conference playoff picture. And the Bruins are heavily favored to come out of the Eastern Conference with the league’s best record.

Carlo stressed that you don’t pick playoff opponents. But he did note how special it would be to compete in a Bruins-avs Stanley Cup Final.

“That would be exhilarating, for sure, and nerve-racking as well,” Carlo said. “Whatever we have to do and that sounds pretty good to me — as long as we can be in that final.”