It has been heavily speculated for weeks and on Monday it was confirmed – 33-year-old Canadian winger Carter Ashton has signed with SHL club Rögle BK. The deal is for the remainder of this season.
“I’m happy about the opportunity to come to a club with such a long history and such a strong culture,” said Ashton. “My first impression is that it is a strong group with very good leaders. I’m really looking forward to getting started with the team soon.”
Carter, the son of well-travelled former NHLer Brent Ashton, was born in Winnipeg while his father played for the Jets and grew up in Saskatoon. After playing junior hockey for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats, Ashton was drafted in the first round, 29th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009.
Ashton never played for the Lightning but he did play 54 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs between 2011 and 2015, recording three assists. In 2014, he was suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL and NHLPA's performance-enhancing substances program, which he said stemmed from accidentally ingesting a banned substance while using an inhaler to treat asthma.
Ashton spent five seasons in the KHL from 2015 to 2020 and has played in the SHL ever since. In four seasons with Leksands IF, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound Ashton had 62 points and 74 penalty minutes in 155 regular-season and playoff games.
“Carter is a player who will contribute with a lot of physicality and fits well into what we want to accomplish,” said Rögle sports director Hampus Sjöström. “He is good at taking both himself and the puck to the net. He’s a forward who is also reliable in positional play without the puck and wins his battles.”
“I want to be a complete player who contributes both offensively and defensively,” said Ashton. “I want to come in with a lot of energy and hard work.”
Rögle has had a tough start to the season, winning only two of its first 11 games in regulation time, and currently sits 12th in the 14-team SHL. The most notable name currently on the roster is former Dallas Star and San Jose Shark Jacob Petersson.
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