Leaving the frigid northeast for the Tucson desert, Dylan Carter transferred to the UA for more than just some palm trees and sunshine. Carter brings talent and experience from an NCAA D3 hockey program at Hobart University.
“I was interested in coming to play hockey at Arizona because the rink and venue looked top notch and the fans are loyal,” Carter said.
Carter was born and raised in a hockey family. His hockey career began playing in minor AAA all the way up to Junior A and now college.
“My father played D1 in the NCAA for Harvard University,” Carter said. “He had me in skates when I was two and I’ve been in love with the game ever since.”
In addition to his year of D3 hockey, the Toronto native has three years of experience in the Junior A league playing for the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots. Carter’s team made it to the RBC Cup, which is the Canadian National Championship for Junior A teams.
“Dylan will bring experience up front having a year of NCAA college hockey under his belt,” sophomore defenseman Alex Vazquez said. “He will be coming in confident and start off by bringing some scoring early in the season.”
In 2013, Carter had a breakout year with 14 goals and 19 assists. He tries to emulate Chicago Blackhawks player Jonathan Toews, because he is a prime example for players on the ice wtih his ability to make everyone around him better.
“At forward, I can definitely score, but my biggest asset is playmaking and making everyone play well,” Carter said.
Carter, unfortunately, has a long-standing history with injuries. Three years ago, Carter separated his shoulder. Although left with a big scar, he has made a full recovery. This past May, Carter underwent a hip surgery due to a torn labrum.
However, his quick recovery is still not as fast as he can skate. Teammates and hockey fans hope he can stay on the ice as he proves to be a big asset to the team.
“Dylan is ready to go with physical play and lots of speed,” said Tommy Bennett, a sophomore forward. “He is going to [be] putting more than a few in the back of the net this season.”
The Wildcats’ first hockey practice as a team is this coming Tuesday. There are only 31 more days till hockey fans can watch how Carter and the 10 other rookies mesh with the veterans when they kickoff the 2014-2015 hockey season against NAU.
—Follow Zoe Wolkowitz on Twitter @zowolko