Derek Ryan retires at 38 after 606 NHL games and remembered as the league’s only active Latter-day Saint

Derek Ryan announced his retirement after playing 606 regular-season games and 60 playoff games, according to the NHL Players' Association.He was recognized for his defensive skills and penalty-kill abilities, and to his knowledge, he was the only active Latter-day Saint in the NHL.Derek Ryan's unusual journey from being an undrafted junior player to a ten-year NHL career concluded as an unrestricted free agent when his deal with the Edmonton Oilers expired.

Derek Ryan has built his reputation as a dependable bottom

The NHL Players' Association announced Ryan's retirement on X, highlighting his 606 regular-season games where he scored 82 goals and made 127 assists for a total of 209 points, along with 10 playoff points (three goals, seven assists) in 60 games.A dependable bottom-six forward, he was great at penalty kills and faceoffs. His retirement came after his two-year, $900,000 cap-hit contract with the Oilers ended in 2024-25, and he didn't receive any new offers from the NHL.

Derek Ryan started his journey with the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) from 2003 to 2007. He went undrafted and decided to study physiology at the University of Alberta while playing for the Golden Bears.

Although Canadian university hockey doesn't often lead to NHL opportunities, Ryan's determination took him to three seasons in Austria and one in Sweden.In 2015, he signed with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), where his old Chiefs coach Bill Peters was at the helm, and then moved on to the Hurricanes. Ryan made his NHL debut with Carolina on March 1, 2016, scoring at the age of 29 years and 63 days, setting a franchise record for the oldest player to score in their debut.

Derek Ryan's determination really shone through at the close of the 2015-16 season when he got his first NHL call-up. On March 1, 2016, he stepped onto the ice with the Hurricanes and netted his first NHL goal that very night, making him the oldest player in the franchise's history to achieve this at 29 years and 63 days old.In the next season, 2016-17, Ryan secured a spot in Carolina's lineup and stayed in the NHL without any demotions for the following seven years.

Derek Ryan helped the Edmonton Oilers reach the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers

In the summer of 2018, after spending three seasons with the Hurricanes, Derek Ryan inked a three-year deal with the Calgary Flames, reuniting with coach Bill Peters who had relocated to Calgary.Throughout his 192 regular-season games with the Flames over those three seasons, Ryan proved to be a reliable center.In July 2021, Ryan's career took a turn as he signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the Flames' rivals from across the province.

Over his last four seasons with Edmonton, he teamed up with superstars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

A memorable moment came during the 2023-24 season when the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final, just one goal away from the championship in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. Ryan was an essential part of Edmonton's penalty-kill unit during that playoff journey.In the 2024-25 season, Ryan saw his role shrink as the Oilers sent the veteran forward down to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in January 2025.

He put up three goals and five assists, totaling eight points in 13 AHL games that season.Ryan received one last call-up for a three-game appearance with the Oilers at the end of the regular season, where he got an assist in his last NHL game. Over 36 games with Edmonton that year, he had one goal and five assists for six points.Derek Ryan represented the United States internationally at the IIHF World Championships in 2018 and 2019.

He brought home a bronze medal in 2018, scoring five goals and providing six assists for a total of 11 points in 16 games during those tournaments. In the NHL awards voting, Ryan ended up 29th for the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) in the 2018-19 season and 66th for the Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship) in the 2021-22 season, receiving one fifth-place vote each time.Also Read: More than protection: How goalie mask art became the symbol of NHL Goalie WeekDuring the December 2024 Deseret News interview, Derek Ryan opened up about his experience as a Latter-day Saint in the NHL, stressing the respect he earned from his fellow players. As he steps away from the sport, Ryan's legacy is one of determination, having taken a unique route to secure a ten-year career in the NHL.