Oswego Goalie Nathan Carter Dances To His Own Beat

Nathan Carter had a lengthy must-do list before playing in the AHAI All-State Game at Allstate Arena in Rosemont on Monday, January 26, marking the 39th All-State Game with players selected by high school coaches voting.

Carter, 17, a senior at Oswego Easy High School, is double-rostered this season, netminding for co-op Oswego varsity for the second season in the IHSHL West and for the Chicago Hawks 18U CSDHL team.

“I have a very specific pre-game ritual that I follow,” he said.

That’s putting it mildly.

Before every game, he brings his water bottle to the bench himself and makes sure it stands in about the same spot along the boards. From there, he skates across the neutral zone and does three or four c-cuts before doing a full 360 and stopping before he hits the boards. He then does the same stretching and warmup routine.

“When I am out of the net and not taking shots, I stickhandle two pucks and then fire each around the ice behind the net to test out the boards and get my arms ready to play,” he said. “To end warmups, I do a skating routine that starts with taking three deep breaths before progressing into the same movement routine. Then I get into one final quick rotation of stretches before skating through the neutral zone.

“As I enter the faceoff circle, I quickly reach down and touch my toes and then stand straight up and first bump and do a spin move, a tradition I did with my first goalie partner and have kept it since even though we do not play together anymore. After this, I do a quick turn on my skates and go to where my parents sit and tap the glass right in front of them.”

Finally, before the game starts, he squirts his water bottle three times in the air and tracks a single water droplet to the ice.

Hey, he’s a goalie … and a good one.

He started 20 of the 21 West regular season games he played this season and faced a league-high 921 shots, which was about 150 more shots than next goalie. Oswego finished 6-18 in the regular season and their 16 points was second-to-last in the 13-team varsity field.

He finished with a 3.10 goals-against average in West play.

“My high school hockey career has been extremely successful,” Carter said. “Even though our teams have struggled to win consistently, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. Playing high school hockey has been responsible for numerous new friendships and allowed me to reunite with many players from my early years. It also has provided me with countless memories that will last a lifetime. I have learned so much from my coaches and mentors, all who have helped me to not only become a better hockey player, but a better human. While I have had many team and personal accomplishments and accolades throughout my career, the most important takeaway for me is the true family that I have, including my teammates who I spend time with on a weekly basis outside of hockey, their families, and everyone who supports us.”

Carter’s motivation this season was simple: to make the most of everything in his last season of youth hockey. “After breaking my leg in a spring 2025 tournament, I feared that I may never be the same player. This temporary setback motivated me to continue to cherish every moment and leave it all on the ice every time I go out there.

“After breaking my leg last May and facing the daunting thought that I might never be the same player again, I want to thank my incredible family and support system for helping me come back stronger than ever. Through it all, they were my anchors. To everyone who stood by me, offered a helping hand, a listening ear, or just a moment of encouragement – thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your unwavering belief and kindness made all the difference when I needed it the most.”

Carter, 17, who lives in Aurora, formerly played for the Naperville Sabres. He is a two-time AHAI development camp selectee, a two-time CSDHL all-star, a two-time Illinois West all-star, and two-time Naperville Sabres Travel Goaltender of the Year award-winner. And, for the past two seasons, Carter has been the IHSHL West leader in regular season save percentage.

Also, Carter is a two-time Illinois hockey state champion (14U and 16U) and he played in the USA Hockey Nationals – all of which he tagged as career highlights.

“My style is proactive and athletic, driven by a strong emphasis on anticipating plays and controlling the game through a lack of rebounds and ability to play the puck effectively,” Carter said. “I use aggressive positioning, allowing me to cut down angles and challenge shooters. My ability to read plays allows me to be in optimal position before the puck arrives. I pride myself on superior skating and precise crease navigation, which allows me to recover quickly, track the puck through traffic and maintain squareness to the shooter even on complex cross-crease plays. This agility and efficient movement truly sets me apart.

“I’ve dedicated significant effort to developing my puck-handling skills, viewing it as a critical extension of my defensive role. My ability to confidently play the puck behind the net helps relieve pressure on our defensemen, initiate breakouts and transition the play quickly, effectively turning defensive plays into offensive opportunities.”

Opposing teams learned the hard way that scoring on Carter would not come easily. To that, one of his favorite moments this season came when an opponent opted to take a power play instead of the penalty shot awarded to them against him.

“In addition to everything I have accomplished as a player, I have achieved much personal satisfaction from coaching, mentoring and working with young goalies from within the clubs I have played for,” Carter said. “Forming bonds with the young goalies and being a small part in their personal growth has been a very rewarding experience.”

Off ice, Carter is just as pumped and energetic. He has been dancing hip-hop for 12 years and competing for 11.

“The hip-hop dancing I do includes training in various styles such as breaking, popping, locking, boogaloo, krumping and more. I train weekly on my hockey rest day, including sessions of strict technique, and competition piece rehearsals. I compete in large groups, small groups, productions, solos and duos.”

He returns to the dancing grind in March with competition season culminating in July. He will challenge at about five competitions this year.

And yes, hip-hop dancing helps this goalie on the ice “by improving my balance, rhythm and body control, which directly contributes to my skating movements,” he said. “The footwork and agility in dance make me lighter on my feet and more confident on my edges and within my body, while also contributing to the mind-body connection. My strength has increased, and dance helps to get muscles used to moving in abstract or different ways and hockey helps to build the overall strength in those muscles. The combination of these helps to grow my legs and movement in ways that may not have happened before. They both contribute to building explosiveness, endurance and power, allowing me to create sharper, stronger and even smoother movements in both my dancing and skating, with added control.”

Carter’s on-ice play also is supported by yoga, which he was introduced to by his high school coaches last year to improve his flexibility, “while finding a stable quiet place where I am able to connect my mind and body together,” he said. “I also do meditation to help recenter myself, using it to clear my head and refocus on specific tasks for the day. This has helped to create a more positive mindset when playing and to help gain a clear focus on the current moment that I am playing in. 

“Working out has been beneficial for improving my game to create a solid foundation in my body and building strength to continue to improve my skating.

“Each of these has contributed to being in more control of my body and mind, making the game on the ice much clearer, easier to control and simplistic.”

Stopping Slapshots With … Oswego Goalie Nathan Carter

Jersey Number: 35
One Moment: “The moment the buzzer sounded when my teammates and I won the state championship, throwing our gloves and helmets into the air with extreme jubilation. Sharing the moment with each of them and knowing our hard work paid off, allowing us to have another month of meaningful hockey, is something I will never forget.”
Long-term Goals: Work in electrical engineering and pursue his passion in coaching youth hockey
College Plans: Play hockey at Purdue Northwest University while working toward a degree in electrical engineering
Off Ice: Enjoys sports photography, playing poker, and spending time with friends and family
Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Favorite NHL Player: Marc-André Fleury
Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Waterboy or Miracle
Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory 
Motivational Song: Freaks by Timmy Trumpet
Favorite Pre-game Meal: Pasta
Favorite app: Spotify 
Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Jason Aldean
Favorite High School Uniform (other than Oswego): Warriors (baby blues)