Former Flames centre Derek Ryan announces retirement after 10 NHL seasons

An undrafted player, Ryan spent his junior career with his hometown Spokane Braves and Spokane Chiefs in the KIJHL and WHL, respectively. He followed that up with four seasons at the University of Alberta, where he was named CIS West MVP in 2011 and an All-Canadian twice in a row.

But with little NHL interest after his Canadian university career, Ryan turned to Europe to begin his professional journey in 2011. He spent four seasons overseas, winning a championship with Hungarian club Fehérvár AV19 in 2012 and being named the MVP of the Swedish Hockey League in 2015. That was enough to attract the attention of the Hurricanes, who signed Ryan to his first NHL contract ahead of the 2015-16 season.

Ryan quickly adapted back to the North American style of play with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, immediately being named team captain and scoring 55 points in 70 games with the club in 2015-16 while also earning his first six NHL games along the way. He became a full-timer with the Hurricanes over the following two seasons, parlaying a very strong campaign in 2017-18 into a three-year, $3.125 million AAV contract with the Flames as an unrestricted free agent that offseason.

Reunited with former Spokane and Carolina coach Bill Peters in Calgary, Ryan enjoyed one of his strongest NHL seasons with the Flames in 2018-19, collecting 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 81 games while anchoring an outstanding checking line with Andrew Mangiapane and Garnet Hathaway. He remained effective even after Peters’ resignation early in his second season and helped the Flames reach the playoffs in both 2019 and 2020.

After scoring 25 goals and 79 points to go along with rock-solid defensive metrics over his three seasons in Calgary, Ryan signed with the Oilers as a free agent in 2021. He remained in Edmonton for four seasons, hitting double-digits in goals in both of his first two and skating in 19 games during the Oilers’ run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. In 2024-25, Ryan managed just one goal and six points in 36 games with the Oilers and was eventually demoted to the AHL for the first time since 2016. He appeared in his final NHL game with the Oilers on April 13, 2025, and watched the entirety of the 2025 playoffs from the press box.

In 606 career games over parts of 10 seasons with the Hurricanes, Flames, and Oilers, Ryan collected 82 goals and 209 points. He added three goals and 10 points in 60 career playoff contests with Calgary and Edmonton.