[2] Ashton had a breakout season in 2008–09, appearing in 70 games with the Hurricanes and scoring a team-high 30 goals while adding 20 assists for 50 points, which was the fourth-highest total on the club.

[6] In the 2011–12 season, on February 27, 2012, Ashton was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenceman Keith Aulie.

[7] Ten days later, on March 7, 2012, Ashton made his debut with the Maple Leafs and played in his first NHL game in a 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He also played 24 games registering 23 points with the Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies.

[9] On November 6, 2014, Ashton was suspended for 20 games, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

[12] On July 21, 2015, as a restricted free agent from the Lightning, Ashton signed with the Russian club Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

[14] At the completion of the 2017–18 season, Ashton left Lada as a free agent, signing a two-year contract with his third KHL club, Severstal Cherepovets on June 15, 2018.

Carter is close friends with Luke and Brayden Schenn, Jared Cowen and Jimmy Bubnick from their minor hockey days in Saskatoon.