Some of the coaches who taught Ryan Carter how to skate have been presented with the Dr. John J. McMullen Service to New Jersey Hockey Award in the past.
Now Carter has joined his heroes and mentors. The New Jersey Devils recently recognized Carter with the Dr. John J. McMullen Service to New Jersey Hockey Award for his dedication to youth hockey in the state.
“You never think past youth hockey when you’re playing,” Carter said. “It means a ton and it’s such an honor to be recognized by the Devils. It was definitely a cool experience.”
Carter has been part of the New Jersey youth hockey community for more than 30 years as a player and a coach. He currently serves as USA Hockey’s Atlantic District Coach-in-Chief and Saint Joseph Metuchen High School’s dean of students and head ice hockey coach. In 2018, Carter received the USA Hockey’s Bob O’Connor Award for his commitment and excellence in coaching education.
The Dr. John J. McMullen Service to New Jersey Hockey Award is named after the Devils’ original owner.
“Obviously, the Devils treated us so well,” said Carter, who brought players with him to the game. “I met with Dr. McMullen’s son and we talked about his father, who was one of the big reasons why the Devils ended up here in the 80s. The whole day was special because I was able to share the award with so many people who impacted my life in a positive way.”
Carter is a member of the New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in addition to the Saint Joseph Metuchen Hall of Fame. Carter scored 75 goals and 151 career points from 1988 through 1991.
In 1991, his senior season, Carter was an All-State selection and conference MVP as he led Saint Joseph Metuchen to its first Hanchen Cup championship.
“I do it to always give back to the sport and to leave it better than where it found you,” Carter said. “You always want to win when you’re coaching, but the real win is getting those kids to develop and then getting them to come back and be coaches and officials and help the game grow.”
Carter has won more than 230 games as a coach at his alma mater, and he is a four-time Greater Middlesex Conference Coach of the Year. His teams have won nine GMC Tournament championships and three Egan Conference titles.
During his time, Carter previously coached Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson, a Stanley Cup champion and two-time All-Star. He also coached Christian Jensen, drafted by San Jose in 2004, in addition to Marc Johnstone, currently in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Kyle Jeffers of the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates.
“I think about seeing those kids play knee hockey in hotel rooms and pretending to win the Stanley Cup to now seeing them in the league where they have the opportunity to realize those dreams,” Carter said.
“It puts a smile on my face for what they’ve been able to achieve and seeing them realize those dreams is the greatest thing. It’s an enormous amount of pride knowing the hard work that everybody put into their goals and seeing them realized.”
More than 40% of Carter’s players have continued their ice hockey careers at the collegiate level, with several securing NCAA Division I scholarships. But Carter’s goal as a coach isn’t to send his players to the NHL or a Division I school.
“I always had great coaches who coached me on how to be a person, and for me, I try to do the same thing,” Carter said. “I care about the player they are and the player they become, but I really care about the person they become. I want to see them reach their potential in all aspects of life.”
The same is true for Carter, who is continuing to reach his potential thanks in part to the game he loves.
“I’ve been lucky enough that hockey has taken me all over the world,” Carter said. “Character, integrity, teamwork and those things are most applicable to life outside of hockey. And I’m sure I would’ve found those things somewhere else if I wasn’t part of hockey, but my hockey journey pales in comparison to the lessons learned and the impact people had on me that allowed me to have an impact on others.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Source: usahockey.com