Carolina Hurricanes’ Derek Stepan announces retirement after 13 NHL seasons 4pr25

Derek Stepan – Phoenix Coyotes player Derek Stepan 2019 11 11 – CC BY-SA 2a6d3c

Carolina Hurricanes forward Derek Stepan announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday. This concludes his 13-season career of 890 regular-season games.

Hailing from Hastings, Minnesota, Stepan was picked 51st overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. He dedicated seven seasons to the Rangers, three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, one with the Ottawa Senators and the final two seasons with the Canes.

“After 13 years in the NHL I’ve decided to retire,” Stepan said.

In a statement, Stepan expressed his gratitude to his family, friends, the organizations he had played for, teammates and fans who had ed him throughout his career. He also conveyed his enthusiasm for the chapter in his life.

The forward debuted in the NHL during the 2010-11 season, playing all 82 regular-season games as a rookie with the Rangers to score 45 points. His final season with the Rangers in 2016-17 saw him lead the team in shots with 209 and ranked third in points with 55.

During his time in New York, Stepan was instrumental in the team’s seven consecutive playoff appearances. He scored 128 goals and made 232 assists, tallying 360 points in 515 games.

In June 2017, Stepan was traded to the Coyotes. During the 2017-18 season, he ranked second in team scoring with 56 points and tied for the team lead in assists with 42. He played a key role in helping Arizona return to the postseason in 2019-20.

Stepan ed the Senators in December 2020 but had his season shortened due to injury. Subsequently, he signed with Carolina as a free agent in July 2021. He achieved his 500th NHL point in his 800th career game on March 12, 2022.

Stepan’s stellar ice hockey career 3a4u36

Stepan’s NHL career spanned 13 seasons, during which he made the playoffs in 10 of those years. He consistently exceeded 50 points in six seasons and played every regular-season game five times.

He averaged 17:05 of ice time per game throughout his career, scoring 32 game-winners, 13 shorthanded and 33 power-play goals. In his 120 playoff games, he tallied 20 goals and 55 points. This contributed significantly to his teams’ deep playoff run, including two Conference Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup Final.

On the international stage, Stepan captained and led the United States to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring 14 points. He also represented his country in the World Championship (2011), Olympics (2014) and World Cup of Hockey (2016).