He was another big piece of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines puzzle during one of the clubs most successful runs in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Spending three seasons with the Wolverines, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan’s Carter Davis is the Wolverines all-time leading scorer with 255 points in 181 career games. His decision to come to Waywayseecappo is one that certainly paid off for him in the long run.
“I was playing AAA in Moose Jaw and I was listed by the Yorkton Terriers, I went to their camp and did well. But I started talking to Wayway and they brought me out to visit,” Davis said about his recruitment to the Wolverines. “There was just that connection, I enjoyed the coaching staff and the people. They offered me a card on the spot and me and my dad walked out of the restaurant and said we’ll get back to you. We got to the car and I said this is the place I want to play. I went back in and I signed the card.”
Following his final season of Midget AAA in Moose Jaw, Davis made the move east to play for the Wolverines while living in Russell with the teams longest serving billet mom, Jean Betke.
“It was a culture shock. You’re used to being at home your whole hockey career and all of a sudden you’re living at someone’s place that you don’t know. Your career is hockey, your life is hockey, you wake up and you’re thinking hockey. The transition was so easy because I had the best billet in the world. I had Jean for all three years and it was one of those things where it was my second home and she was my second mother. It was something that I wouldn’t change, it was the best choice for me.”
Like most former Wolverines, Davis embraced the passion and support he received from Waywayseecappo and the surrounding communities. He was also a major part of the Wolverines most successful season where the team won a franchise leading 37 games. That season, Davis scored a career-high 44 goals and 67 assists in 59 games.
“It was really cool, no matter the night we were never out of it. We had so much firepower up front. We had a powerplay that was running at something like 33 percent. I have to give a lot of credit to Sean Collins, Riley Riddell, and Jason Bowles too. We had a team where we could of went a lot further than we did but we had some pretty powerful pieces in place.”
“Russell was very welcoming, and I loved it there. The passion of the fans in Wayway, it felt like we were their boys,” Davis said of how well he was treated as a player. “They took care of us no matter win or lose they were cheering us on, the atmosphere is what I remember most. We were that team that was together all the time, we hung out, worked out together, watched movies. Everything was the perfect fit.”
At the end of his 20-year-old season in Waywayseecappo, Davis joined a stable of former Wolverines in Duluth, Minnesota at The College of Saint Scholastica where he spent four seasons with the Saints including his senior year where he was named team captain. In 108 career games with the NCAA Division III school, Davis scored 31 goals and 49 points.
“It was perfect, we had those guys that were looking out for us in college. We had guys that either played with Wayway or they were there before, they knew where we were coming from and they kind of mentored us through the whole process. A guy that comes to mind is Shane Auger, he’s one of those guys that is goofy in the dressing room and around the guys, but he always made sure that everyone was taken care of.”
After earning his education degree from Saint Scholastica, Davis moved back to his hometown and put down some roots of his own. He also recently made the switch from player to coach.
“I came back home and married a fellow teacher and now work at a school called St Mary in Moose Jaw teaching grade seven and eight.
“I just was recently hired on with a couple of friends that are running the AAA team (Moose Jaw Warriors Midget AAA). I’m helping out on the bench and I’m looking forward to that. It will be a fun change of pace instead of being on the ice. As a hockey player, you’re still passionate about the game. It’s another way to keep that competitive edge.
As for his closing thoughts on playing for the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, Davis wanted people to know that he would do it all over again if he could.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world. If someone came up to me and said would you pick another place to play, I don’t think I would. I would stay with Wayway, the community treated us with respect and we had everything we needed. If someone asks me about it, I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience,” Davis concluded.