Growing up near sunny Orlando, Florida, former San Jose Sharks centre Ryan Carpenter didn’t cling to any NHL aspirations, as many young Canadian boys do. But he had hockey in his blood, nonetheless. Ryan’s dad grew up in Staten Island, New York, and was a true New York Rangers fan.

“There weren’t too many kids from my school interested in hockey,” Ryan remembers. “I started out just playing in our driveway a lot. Sometimes my dad would get outside with me to play street hockey, and neighbourhood kids would join in. Then the owner of the Orlando Magic built a nice ice hockey facility in town, and I got to go play there.”

Different Routes

Ryan’s childhood dreams only went as far as college hockey.

“I knew if I got into a good junior league, that would help my chances,” he says. “A friend of mine moved to Ohio, and his dad helped me get a tryout with Victory Honda. I moved in with a host family to play Triple A hockey, and from there I got to play in the American Hockey League. I never really knew the path to keep advancing but I just kept going.”

Ryan enjoyed a good freshman season playing hockey for Bowling Green State University, earning the Rookie of the Year title.

“I couldn’t have an agent until I signed my pro contract, and I was told there was a good chance I could sign an NHL contract,” he says. “At the time, I was just focused on being the best student athlete I could be, and I also attended development camps. I knew if I kept working hard, it would pay off.”

Ryan is grateful that his time at Bowling Green allowed him to play a lot of high-level hockey.

“I kept asking coaches for feedback, and they helped me improve every year,” he comments. “Everyone develops at different times. I saw some kids get drafted at 18, but I also saw other guys who weren’t drafted get signed as free agents, and that’s the route I went.”

“My relationship with Jesus is the best thing in my life.” RYAN CARPENTER

Dream Come True

Ryan was 23 when he signed with the Sharks in 2014, and joined their minor league club, the Worcester Sharks. He made the San Jose Sharks at the age of 26.

“My wife and I were newly married, living out here with a baby,” he recalls.

After a few years with the Sharks, Ryan went on to play with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, then the Chicago Blackhawks, the Calgary Flames and even a few months for the New York Rangers in 2022.

“My dad cheers for whatever team I’m on,” he says. “But he’s from New York and I wore a few Rangers jerseys as a kid. I remembered it was so fun to watch their games during those years with Gretzky and Messier playing. To play wearing a Rangers jersey in Madison Square Garden in front of my dad was a dream come true.”

“The Best Thing”

Ryan rejoined the San Jose Sharks in 2023 with a one-year contract. It was rewarding to see his career come full circle, landing back to San Jose where it all started. “A lot had changed: we had two more kids, there were many new faces on the team, but thankfully we could attend the same church.”

Last summer he signed as a free agent to a two-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls.Throughout all his various hockey seasons, Ryan’s faith has triumphed over his uncertainty.

“There have been many times in my life that I have seen God provide,”he says. “I just take things one day at a time. I’m not in control of a lot of things, so I prepare as if it all depends on me, but I know in the end God has a plan that is best. Looking back at other free-agent periods of my life, I can see how He’s come through, and I was always in the place Ineeded to be.”

As a freshman at Bowling Green, a pastor friend helped Ryan see that he could go beyond religion and have a true relationship with Jesus.

“At that moment, I finally experienced real freedom, with no more shame or guilt,” he recalls. “My relationship with Jesus is the best thing in my life.”

Romans 5:8

Ryan is grateful that Hockey Ministries International (HMI) supplies chaplains to many NHL locker rooms to help the players along in their life’s journey.

“Most teams I’ve played on have had a chaplain,” he says. “Their program is so cool! When I was with the Sharks, they had Roger McCarty. He’s from a local church and served us at least once a week, sometimes via Zoom as necessary. Taking time to get into the Bible always encourages me. Applying the Bible to our lives and having proximity to other Christians is important. It puts life into perspective, helping us remember what’s important in this life.”

Ryan welcomes the opportunity to share his testimony with others, and he writes “Romans 5:8” on every hockey stick he uses.

“When guys ask about what’s on my stick, I tell them the NewTestament verse says, ‘God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,’ ” he says. “It’s a very simple way of sharing the gospel with others. I’m very thankful the love of God is always the same toward us, when we’re getting it right and even when we’re not.”

Photos: Courtesy of the San Diego Gulls

Jayne Thurber-Smith is a wife, mother of four and freelance writer from Nova Scotia who presently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She enjoys tennis, horseback riding and reading.

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