Anson Carter played four seasons of college hockey at Michigan State University from 1992 to 1996. He was a prolific scorer, leading the team in goals three times and finishing his career ranked sixth in goals (106) and 22nd in points (178) on the school’s all-time lists. In his junior season in 1994-95, Carter was an All-American and a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, after leading the Spartans with a team-best 34 goals and 51 points. He also earned First-Team All-CCHA honors that year and in 1994, and was part of a Canadian team that won gold at the 1994 World Junior Championships.

Following his college career, Anson Carter went on to play 11 seasons in the NHL, with stints on eight different teams, most notably the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. He made his NHL debut in the 1996-97 season with the Washington Capitals. He had his most productive offensive season in 2005-06 with the Vancouver Canucks, where he set a career-high of 33 goals while playing on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Carter also won two gold medals with Team Canada at the World Championships in 1997 and 2003, scoring the overtime winner in the 2003 gold medal game against Sweden. He retired from professional hockey in 2008.