Michael Karow: Navigating Life On and Off the Ice
Mar 23, 2026Michael Karow established himself as a particular type of player through five seasons of collegiate hockey and three in the AHL. Your traditional “shut down” defenseman, who wasn’t expected to see his name on the score sheet as much. A solid blueliner, dependable, and predictable.
"My role on the ice has definitely developed over the last three or four years that I've been here, but I think it's always come back to being a shut down, reliable defenseman,” said Karow. “Whether it's playing against other teams’ top lines or playing the last couple minutes of the game we're winning, just being able to go out there and shut teams down.”
In addition to his defensive strengths, Karow has exploded offensively and is having the best year of his career. After scoring one goal in 71 games during the 2024-25 regular season, the Green Bay, Wisconsin native has already netted nine goals through the first two thirds of the 2025-26 campaign. On Feb. 7 against Manitoba, he also matched his single-season career high of 18 points in just 42 games. Karow's answer for his breakout season? Keeping it simple.
"I'm not going to try to overcomplicate anything or walk a guy one-on-one. If I'm in a one-on-one match up, I'm usually trying to find a guy to pass it to.”
Karow knew he wanted to increase his offensive production heading into the 2025-26 season.
"It's something I focused on a little bit this summer and tried to get better at. Then you come into this year and our team was struggling to put up points early,” Karow noted. “You just look at how you can help the team and that's somewhere that I tried to focus on in the summer, and then was like ‘OK, maybe this is somewhere I can contribute.’”
Following a playoff run where they played deep into the summer, Karow kept busy in the off-season, working on his game and planning his future. The blueliner signed a three-year AHL contract, a rarity in the league today and the first such contract in team history.
"It was really nice. You're able to guarantee a little bit of security there. Anything can change on a dime in this league, so to be able to get that was really nice,” said Karow. “I thought negotiations with the team were really great, smooth, and professional. I'm thankful for that process and just being able to get that security was nice.”
Karow knew that, despite going into his fourth year in the AHL, this season would be different than any he had played before. He and his wife were anticipating their first child in the fall and wanted to make sure they had the stability of a three-year contract as they were gearing up to start their family.
On an early-November trip to Manitoba, the Stars defenseman got a call from his wife as the team’s plane landed in Denver for a layover. She had gone into labor, so Karow quickly boarded a return flight to Austin and made it just in time for the birth of his son.
"It was really exciting for our family. It's been something that we've been really looking forward to, and it's four months now, so it's been a whirlwind. Watching him grow up every day and learn new things, becoming more interactive, alert and aware is just so much fun,” Karow said with a grin on his face. “I went to pick him up this morning and you peek over the crib and he gives you the biggest smile because he's ready to start his day. Even though you're a little groggy, it perks you right up."
Life is different now. His pregame naps are scheduled around when the baby naps, and his pregame ritual is to say hi to his wife and son through the glass during warmups. Despite the lack of sleep, Karow credits his family for his success this season.
"It almost goes back to some of that simplicity, keeping things efficient. You're not getting as much sleep at home, which is awesome because it means you get to spend more time with him,” said Karow. “It also puts things into perspective on why you do what you do, and why you come to the rink every day to provide for the family, to make sure they're set for a good life."
Navigating a newborn can be difficult for anyone, including an athlete who works nights and weekends, and is frequently traveling. In Karow’s case, it seems to have given him the push he needed to step up his game and put together the best season of his career.