Nolan Willman

Name: Nolan Andrew Carter

Birth Month: June

Hometown: Cape Cod, Mass.

Early Life: 

Andrew and Rachel Willman welcomed their only baby boy on a particularly cool summer evening. Nolan didn’t find out until much later in life that he was conceived as a last ditch effort to repair a broken marriage. — well surprise! that didn’t work out—  Nolan spent his life traveling between his mother’s house on the Cape and his father’s down in Boston. After the divorce, his mother opened a boutique on the Cape (with her own original jewelry and local goods) and lived comfortably off alimony and child support. She also had her share of suitors— though none of them made the jump to marriage. His father was a banker in Boston with a new sky high apartment where Nolan had a  floor all to himself. His father also had a new girlfriend pretty much every week— who pretty much ignored the younger boy’s existence. He escaped the forever revolving door of nannies and his parents' new spouses by playing hockey.

Hockey: 

Nolan had a natural talent when he put on skates for the first time. His dad placed a stick in his hands and a puck on the ice and Nolan never stopped from there. He played in the local leagues until USA Hockey scouted him and invited him to play for the Tier I league. He is a very talented center— with a knack for the face-off circle. He left home at 16 to play in Nebraska. He played with Tri-City until he was 18. He was integral to their championship in 2015. He left after that year to play for Cornell University. He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round in 2015. He chose to continue his NCAA career and played three seasons with the Big Red. He signed his entry level contract the summer before what would have been his senior year. Three years later, Nolan has secured a 5-year contract with the Rangers organization —  which comes with a hefty pay raise. 

College: 

Nolan became a start center by his sophomore year. This led to a lot of attention that Nolan graciously accepted (i mean isn’t that what a kid who grew up with divorced parents and pretty much didn’t see his family as a teenager would dream of!?) Sure he ate, drank, and slept hackey back then, but a frat party in the city or a beach laden break trip always caught his eye. But everything took a backseat when he started noticing a blonde that always placed her coffee order before him at his favorite cafe. It wasn’t close to school or anything— but they sure made the best lattes he’d ever tried. His attempts to talk to her were always short lived because they were both always in a rush to get to class/practice.  so he devised the plan one Friday morning where he bribed the barista working to leave a note on her cup with his number. By the end of the day, a date was planned and they hit it off pretty spectacularly. Nolan really enjoyed the way she brought out the good in him and challenged him on a regular basis. He’d always spot her at games when she made it out to them and she’d even infiltrated his friend group and made everyone love her. But all good things come to an end— and he’s always been one to self sabotage his own happiness—  he got a little too used to the attention that came from being a star athlete and having a girlfriend that went to another college (and had a pretty rigorous academic schedule) made it easy for him to let girls get close to him at parties and eventually he let them take it farther. His training camp sessions with the Rangers also opened his world to the allure of being a professional athlete. He knew it was wrong to do it all behind her back, but he couldn’t help the feelings that came from meeting those girls behind her back. Of course, she found out just as he got the call from the Rangers that an ELC was on the way…He knows he broke her heart— knows that what he did is unforgivable. Still, her blonde hair and infectious laugh still pops up from the depths of his mind from time to time. 

Life in New York: 

During his first three seasons in New York, Nolan lived with his line-mate— and best friend. He’s had his share of hookups and even a few short term girlfriends, but it always ends the same—  he cheats when he feels himself developing real feelings. After signing his new contract, Nolan has decided to try living on his own with no roommates for the first time in his life. He just signed a lease on a new apartment in Brooklyn. When he’s not on the road, Nolan is very much into the club scene of NYC. He has a few promoter friends that always let him know where the best gigs are happening every weekend. Something inside of him is changing now that he sees most of his teammates getting engaged, married, and having kids. Is he finally growing up? Only time will tell…