Carter Ashton

Carter Ashton
Ashton with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012
Born	(1991-04-01) April 1, 1991 (age 33) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
SHL team Former teams	Leksands IF Toronto Maple Leafs Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod Lada Togliatti Severstal Cherepovets Dinamo Riga
NHL draft	29th overall, 2009 Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career	2009–present

Carter Ashton (born April 1, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Ashton was drafted 29th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Playing career

Junior

Ashton was drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the first round, seventh overall, in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft. ^[1] He appeared in two games with the Hurricanes in the 2006–07 season, earning no points. Ashton's rookie season in the WHL was in 2007–08. He played only 40 games, missing significant time due to injury. During the WHL playoffs that season, Ashton helped the Hurricanes reach the finals of the WHL playoffs. ^[2]

Ashton had a breakout season in 2008–09, appearing in 70 games with the Hurricanes and scoring a team-high 30 goals while adding 20 assists for 50 points, which was the fourth-highest total on the club. In the post-season, Ashton appeared in 11 games, earning three points. ^[1] During the 2008–09 season, Ashton played for Team Cherry in the CHL Top Prospects Game. ^[3] After the season, Ashton was selected 29th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He attended training camp with the Lightning and the team signed him to an entry-level contract on October 2, 2009. ^[4]

Ashton began the 2009–10 season with the Hurricanes, and after recording 13 goals and 26 points in 28 games, the Hurricanes traded him to the Regina Pats. ^[5] With Regina, Ashton had 11 goals and 25 points in 37 games, as the Pats failed to qualify for the playoffs. On December 10, 2010, Ashton was traded to the Tri-City Americans. ^[6]

Professional

In the 2011–12 season, on February 27, 2012, Ashton was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenceman Keith Aulie. ^[7] Ten days later, on March 7, 2012, Ashton made his debut with the Maple Leafs and played in his first NHL game in a 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. ^[8] He played 15 games with the Leafs in his first season and 32 games in the 2013–14 season registering 3 points. He also played 24 games registering 23 points with the Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies. He was re-signed to a one-year two-way contract worth $850,000 in July 2014. ^[9]

On November 6, 2014, Ashton was suspended for 20 games, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Ashton claimed to have unknowingly ingested a banned substance while using an un-prescribed inhaler for exercise-induced asthma. The suspension came with a mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment. ^[10] At the time, he had played in three games for the Leafs and did not register a point. He had also played in 24 games for the Marlies and accumulated 23 points. ^[11] On February 6, 2015, Ashton was traded from the Maple Leafs back to Tampa Bay in a deal that included David Broll and a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2016 entry draft from the Lightning. ^[12]

On July 21, 2015, Ashton signed as a restricted free agent from the Lightning, with the Russian club Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). ^[13] After two seasons with Torpedo and having established himself in the KHL, Ashton moved to fellow KHL club, HC Lada Togliatti, in a trade for the final year of his contract on June 2, 2017. ^[14] At the completion of the 2017–18 season, Ashton left Lada as a free agent, signing a two-year contract with his third KHL club, Severstal Cherepovets on June 15, 2018. ^[15]

International play

Medal record
Representing Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	USA 2011

Ashton played for Team Saskatchewan at the 2007 Canada Winter Games which were held in Whitehorse, Yukon. ^[16] He also played for Team West at the 2007 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he served as an alternate captain on the team that won the bronze medal. ^[16]

After his rookie season in the WHL, Ashton played for Team Canada at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, helping the team to a gold medal. Ashton finished the tournament with one goal and two assists in four games, including a goal in the gold medal win against Russia. ^[17]

He was later invited to take part in Canada's 2011 national junior team selection camp ^[18] Carter played for Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships held in Buffalo, New York. He finished with one goal and two assists as Canada won the silver medal.

Personal life

Ashton's father, Brent, played in 998 NHL games in a career that spanned from 1979 to 1993. His father held the record for the most traded player in NHL history until the record was tied by Mike Sillinger. Carter was born in Winnipeg during his father's stint with the Jets.

Carter is close friends with Luke and Brayden Schenn, Jared Cowen and Jimmy Bubnick from their minor hockey days in Saskatoon. ^[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Carter Ashton warming up in his first AHL game with the Toronto Marlies

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Saskatoon Contacts AAA	SMHL		41	28	38	66	99		3	3	5	8	6
2006–07	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		40	5	4	9	21		19	0	1	1	12
2008–09	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		70	30	20	50	93		11	1	2	3	15
2009–10	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		28	13	13	26	52		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Regina Pats	WHL		37	11	14	25	57		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		11	1	0	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Regina Pats	WHL		29	16	11	27	44		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Tri-City Americans	WHL		33	17	27	44	62		10	3	5	8	4
2010–11	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		2	0	0	0	0
2011–12	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		56	19	16	35	58		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Toronto Marlies	AHL		7	2	1	3	8		6	1	2	3	8
2011–12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		15	0	0	0	13		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Toronto Marlies	AHL		53	11	8	19	67		9	3	2	5	4
2013–14	Toronto Marlies	AHL		24	16	7	23	30		12	4	5	9	16
2013–14	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		32	0	3	3	19		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		7	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Toronto Marlies	AHL		12	4	4	8	8		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		29	3	11	14	61		3	0	0	0	7
2015–16	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	KHL		46	13	10	23	61		9	0	0	0	33
2016–17	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	KHL		59	18	10	28	48		5	0	0	0	4
2017–18	Lada Togliatti	KHL		6	2	1	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Severstal Cherepovets	KHL		36	9	5	14	26		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Dinamo Riga	KHL		62	15	10	25	39		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Leksands IF	SHL		24	13	6	19	16		4	1	0	1	0
2021–22	Leksands IF	SHL		52	7	15	22	18		3	0	0	0	0
2022–23	Leksands IF	SHL		37	5	6	11	26		3	0	0	0	4
NHL totals				54	0	3	3	32		—	—	—	—	—
KHL totals				209	57	36	93	178		14	0	0	0	42
SHL totals				113	25	27	52	60		10	1	0	1	4

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	Canada Western	U17			6	1	5	6	2
2009	Canada	IH18			4	1	2	3	0
2011	Canada	WJC			7	1	2	3	6
Junior totals					17	3	9	12	8

Awards and honours

Award	Year
WHL
CHL Top Prospects Game	2009
AHL
Reebok/AHL Player of the Week (October 2–9)	2011
Reebok/AHL Rookie of the Month (November)	2011	[19]

References

1. "Carter Ashton, Regina Pats". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
2. "Carter Ashton player profile". Western Hockey League. 2012-03-04. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
3. "Five WHL Players selected in 1st Round of 2009 NHL Entry Draft". Western Hockey League. 2009-06-26. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
4. "Tampa Bay Lightning signs Carter Ashton". 2009-10-02. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
5. "Regina Pats get NHL prospect in multi-player trade with Lethbridge Hurricanes". Regina Leader post. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2010-01-15.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
6. "Big move between Pats and Americans". Western Hockey League. 2010-12-10. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
7. "Leafs trade Keith Aulie to Lightning". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 2012-02-27. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
8. McGran, Kevin (March 8, 2012). "Carter Ashton makes Maple Leafs debut, injuries pile up". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
9. Johnston, Mike (July 16, 2014). "Leafs re-sign Ashton to one-year, two-way deal". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
10. NHL.com (November 6, 2014), Maple Leafs' Ashton suspended 20 games, NHL, archived from the original on November 7, 2014, retrieved November 6, 2014
11. "Leafs forward Ashton suspended 20 games for violating drug policy". Global News. The Canadian Press. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
12. "Lightning acquire Carter Ashton, David Broll from Leafs". National Hockey League. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
13. "Torpedo agree to terms with Cater Ashton" (in Russian). Championnat.com. 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
14. "Carter Ashton in Lada" (in Russian). HC Lada Togliatti. 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
15. "Carter Ashton joins Severstal" (in Russian). Severstal Cherepovets. 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
16. "CANADA'S NATIONAL MEN'S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM". Hockey Canada . Retrieved 2010-01-15.
17. "Canada prevail over Russia". Hockey Canada. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
18. "2011 Team Selection Camp: Team Profile". Hockey Canada. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2011-01-02.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
19. "Ashton named AHL Rookie of the Month". Tampa Bay Lightning. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2011-12-01.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Victor Hedman	Tampa Bay Lightning first round draft pick 2009	Succeeded by Brett Connolly