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First Posted: 2/27/2014 By the time a player reaches the AHL or NHL, they have already achieved a lot in their careers and made plenty of memories along the way. Each week, we&#8217;ll sit down with one of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and talk about some of the memorable &#8220;firsts&#8221; they&#8217;ve had during their careers, ranging from their first time on skates to their first goal as a pro.
Player: Mike Carman
Age: 25
Position: Center
Birthplace: Apple Valley, Minn.
Years pro: 4
First time on skates: &#8220;I was about 3-years-old and on the ice for between periods of my dad&#8217;s college alumni game. I was scared of the Zamboni and didn&#8217;t stay out there long.&#8221;
First team: &#8220;When we lived in England, I played for the Spitfires, an under-12 team. I was 7. Our coach was Canadian, from Ontario, so maybe we were named after the Windsor Spitfires.&#8221;
First coach that influenced you: &#8220;My dad (Tom). He played through college and he got me on skates and coached me all the way up to bantam. He had a lot to do with my growth and development.&#8221;
First goal that you remember: &#8220;When I was playing in England, I had a good &#8220;inside outside&#8221; move. I&#8217;d fake inside then drive wide around the D. I scored a lot that way when I was younger. My coach would always be yelling to me &#8216;inside out, inside out.&#8217;&#8221;
First time you won anything in hockey: &#8220;We won our league in England that year. I got off to a good start over there, I guess.&#8221;
First time hockey took you away from home: &#8220;When I went to play for the U.S. National team in Ann Arbor (Michigan). I left in my junior year of high school and it was tough. High school hockey is big back home in Minnesota and it wasn&#8217;t an easy decision to leave. But it was the right one for my career and I don&#8217;t regret it at all. I wouldn&#8217;t be playing today if it wasn&#8217;t for that.&#8221;
First pro contract: &#8220;It was pretty cool. I signed a few days after my senior season ended. It was a whirlwind. You end your college career and you&#8217;re pretty sad about it, then all of a sudden your agent calls saying you&#8217;re going to sign a contract. It gets faxed over, you sign it and play in the AHL. I signed with the Colorado Avalanche and played in Lake Erie less than a week after my college career was done.&#8221; 
First time you faced adversity in your hockey career: &#8220;My freshman year in high school I started out on the junior varsity then moved up to varsity. Ten games later, I shattered my elbow and was done for the year. Missed our state tournament. The was the first major injury of my career with rehab and surgeries. It actually helped because I broke my leg the next year, so I was prepared for it.&#8221;
&#8212; Tom Venesky

Hockey Firsts: Mike Carman