During Carson Vance’s first game with the Oswego State men’s hockey team on Nov. 1, 2019, it was around 43 degrees Fahrenheit outside in Oswego. 

In his hometown, Tempe, Arizona, it was 77 degrees when the puck dropped in the Marano Campus Center. 

Despite the typical warm weather in the winter, Vance found a love for the sport of hockey at a young age. He was born in 1996, the same year that the Phoenix Coyotes came to town for their first year in the NHL after relocating from Winnipeg. 

His father, who grew up in Toledo, Ohio, played hockey and brought Vance to some of the Coyotes’ first games. Vance called it “perfect timing.”

After hearing the different sounds of hockey, such as the echo of tape-to-tape passes, and seeing the bright reflection of the clean sheet of ice before the game begins, Vance was sold.

“I just fell in love with it right away,” Vance said. “I started rollerblading at 2 years old and I was on the ice at 3 years old. I haven’t looked back since.”

The Coyotes also helped grow the game of hockey in the desert state. With players like Shane Doan and Keith Yandle being big parts of the community, plus Arizona State University bringing in an NCAA Div. I hockey program, Vance said it would not have grown as much without them.

“As I got older, I realized what Shane meant to the community. He wasn’t just a good hockey player but a great person. That’s someone who was a backbone for how I want to present myself,” Vance said. “Without the Coyotes and the guys that they had on that team, I don’t think it would’ve grown as much.”

He played alongside some future household names, such as Auston Matthews, who is currently a center for the Toronto Maple Leafs. At a young age, Vance said some of these players were “just normal kids” so thinking about them in the NHL did not happen.

“Growing up, I was on a team with Brenden Lemiuex, Jake DeBrusk and Auston Matthews. To look back on that now, it’s just like, ‘Wow. Three NHLers,’” Vance said. “That’s pretty cool. It’s something where it’s just amazing to watch that all unfold and it’s cool that I had an opportunity to be around those guys at a young age.”

However, growing up, youth hockey options were limited for Vance. Eventually he found he was to the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, the Tier 1 youth hockey team, playing on their 14U and 16U squads.

While with the Jr. Coyotes, he also played with Derek Brown, another men’s hockey graduate from last season. The two played in numerous tournaments together, including the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

But after the short time in Arizona’s youth hockey system, Vance left at 16 years old to play junior hockey in the North American Hockey League. He made his first stop in Kenai River, Alaska, for the Brown Bears. 

After a year with the Brown Bears, Vance traveled around the country “in a suitcase,” playing for the Janesville Jets in the NAHL before joining the Youngstown Phantoms, part of the United State Hockey League, another junior hockey system.

While with the Phantoms, he played with Josh Nenedal — yet another Oswego State alumnus — who “set him straight with rookie stuff.” After stops in Chicago, Muskegon, Dubuque,  Tri-City and Sioux City, Vance finished 63 points in 168 games in the USHL. Over the years, Vance has had nearly 300 teammates.

“There’s some teams that treat you a lot better. Youngstown wasn’t really a hockey town. But Dubuque, that was the first eye-opener for me. I went to a grocery store and people knew who I was and kids were asking for autographs,” Vance said. “I took pride in that. But overall, I’d say Dubuque and Sioux City were my top two spots between the fans and coaching and everything.”

Before Vance even set foot at Div. I Western Michigan University, he originally committed to the University of Wisconsin under head coach Mike Eaves. He was fired the year that Vance was supposed to be a freshman and the new coaching staff made “didn’t make it sound like he was wanted,” and played his last year of junior hockey before attending Western Michigan.

At the time, Vance said the Broncos were “the best fit” to play college hockey. However, following his sophomore year, after playing in only 33 games and registering one assist, Vance said it was another “weird situation” between him and the coaching staff which led to his transfer to Oswego State. He chose the Lakers so he did not have to sit out a year had he transferred to a different Div. I program.

“To this day, I can’t see how he didn’t fit in at Western Michigan. It’s beyond me. I know they have a very good team,” head coach Ed Gosek said. “But you don’t find many guys like that with his skating ability.”

Vance became the third Arizona native to join the Lakers, along with Brown. Cam Berry, who played 2015-2019, was also from Arizona. Gosek said it is “pretty unique” to have one guy from Arizona on the roster let alone three, which is “pretty amazing.”

“Brownie was an awesome recruiter, along with Cam Berry, and everyone knows those guys because the hockey community is a little smaller in Arizona,” Gosek said. “They were all from there and got started there, but Cam was in Philly, Carson was in the USHL and Brown was in the NAHL and then Niagara. Everybody has a different path to the college level.”

Vance was anticipating two years with Oswego State after transferring, but COVID-19 knocked out his senior year with the Lakers. Behind fast skating and “good decisions with the puck,” according to Gosek, Vance played in 27 games on the blue line for Oswego State recording 16 points. Gosek mentioned he was a strong compliment to Max Novick, another offensive-minded defenseman.

Despite not having his “breakout year” for his senior campaign, Gosek said Vance “lived up to his billing” in his lone year in the green and gold.

“He is a high-end skater. You don’t get many of those high-end players like that,” Gosek said. “With him and Novick, we were very fortunate with their style to have them both. Unfortunately, we can’t see what they would’ve done their senior year since it never materialized.”

While his time was short with Oswego State, Vance said he has some fond memories with the Lakers, both on and off the ice. Notably, he was able to rekindle his friendship with Brown after about eight or nine years apart.

“To hang out with each other as 23- or 24-year-olds, we changed but it was very, very cool to play with Derek again,” Vance said. “Not too many people know about Oswego. It’s almost like a Div. I setting … There’s a lot of programs that don’t get treated as well as Oswego, I can tell you that.”

Once the SUNYAC canceled men’s hockey this season, Vance said he was able to find an agent who got him an opportunity to play professional hockey. He originally joined the Elmira Enforcers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League for a few games before getting signed by the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League. 

Gosek said that if Vance is given the opportunity, he might be able to touch the ECHL and “prove himself” as a player.

“You’ve got 34-year-old guys on your team, or guys that are married with kids. There are stronger guys, but the skill level is a little more elevated,” Vance said. “But what really stands out is the hockey IQ … They might not be as fast or skilled, but they’re able to make guys miss.”

Vance has not been in the professional ranks very long but is just living life “one day at a time,” but wishes he could play one more game for Oswego State.

“My goal is to play at the highest level possible and play every day. I look forward to getting opportunities in American and once those opportunities are over and I can make more money in Europe and still have a love for a game, that’s obviously a very strong possibility,” Vance said. “Even with last year’s seniors, that was such a good class. I wish we could do it again … I was very fortunate to play with Oswego and have the experiences I had.”

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The Oswegonian file photo from 2020