Ken Carrol signs with Mudbugs

BOSSIER CITY, La. – The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs today announced the re-signing of goaltender Ken Carroll for the 2009-2010 Central Hockey League season. The five-time CHL All-Star returns for his ninth year with the franchise and becomes the third player signed by the Mudbugs so far this offseason, joining fellow goalie John DeCaro and forward Brett Smith. The signing reunites Carroll with John DeCaro to bring back the goaltending tandem that helped the Mudbugs set the bar for defensive prowess in the CHL in 2007-08. Bossier-Shreveport smashed the league record with a miniscule 1.91 team goals-against average that year with Carroll and DeCaro backstopping the club to the Governor’s Cup regular season Championship. “Kenny is a competitor and a winner,” Head Coach Scott Muscutt said. “He has always demanded personal excellence of himself. I think it speaks volumes about what kind of competitor Kenny Carroll is when he was among the top goalies in the league last year and wasn’t satisfied because we didn’t win a championship. I was thrilled about the job he did and has always done for us.” Carroll is one of the most decorated goaltenders in CHL/WPHL history. He was named the league’s Most Outstanding Goaltender (2001 and 2006), appeared on the 2006 All-CHL team, won the 2001 WPHL Rookie of the Year award,and helped the Mudbugs to the 2001 WPHL President’s Cup Championship. The 5-10, 175-pound netminder holds the CHL record with 29 career shutouts and ranks third all-time with 173 career wins. He needs 22 more victories to surpass Rod Branch as the winningest goaltender in CHL history. “Winning is the only thing on my mind,” Carroll said. “There’s nothing better in sports than winning a championship, and that’s where my thoughts are. I’m the old guy now, but I’m excited. When you’re having fun, it’s tough to leave something behind. This is where I’m supposed to be and where I’m going to be.” The Oil City, Ontario native led the CHL last season with a .929 saves percentage and had the league’s second-best goals-against average (2.33) while posting a 21-8-4 record in 34 appearances for the ‘Bugs. He also tied for the league lead with three shutouts and was twice named Oakley/CHL Goaltender of the Week. Over his nine professional seasons, Carroll holds a career record of 190-88-27 with a 2.19 GAA, a .926 SV% and 30 shutouts.“There’s no question that having a 1-2 punch like John DeCaro and Ken Carroll puts us in a great position between the pipes every night,” Muscutt said. “Combine that with having Brett Smith as our first forward signed and we’ve got three big reasons to get excited about 2009-10. That tells me I’ve got three months to find 15 more reasons to get excited. We’re definitely on the right track right now.” While goaltenders on some teams obsess about not playing much or being the so-called “number one” goalie, Carroll welcomes the competitiveness because it makes the team better overall. “There’s definitely going to be some competition, but Johnny and I get along great,” Carroll said. “We both want to play, but we both understand that you have to stand behind your teammates in order to be successful.” With a positive attitude like that, you can probably pencil in the Mudbugs as candidates for another title run. Contact the writer at mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com