Former San Jose Sharks Goaltender Retires

Aaron Dell hung up the pads for good today, announcing his retirement from professional hockey after 13 seasons of grinding through the ranks. At 36, the former San Jose Sharks netminder called it quits, and honestly? It’s about time someone gave this guy his flowers—even if they’re slightly wilted ones.

Dell’s story reads like a hockey fairy tale that got edited by a realist. Here’s an undrafted six-footer from Alberta who somehow convinced the San Jose Sharks to take a flyer on him back in 2015. Not exactly the prototype for modern NHL goalies, but Dell had something that analytics can’t measure: pure, stubborn determination.

The San Jose Sharks Years

Dell’s early years with the San Jose Sharks were the stuff of hockey dreams. Remember 2017-18? That was Dell’s breakout season—15 wins and a 2.64 GAA that actually looked respectable next to the veteran goalies around the league. For a brief, shining moment, it looked like the San Jose Sharks had found their diamond in the rough.

The 2019-20 season was supposed to be Dell’s coming-out party. Thirty starts for a team that had been to the Stanley Cup Final just a few years earlier. Then, on March 12, COVID-19 shut everything down. Talk about bad timing. Dell was finally getting his shot, and the world literally stopped spinning.

But let’s be real here—Dell’s NHL numbers tell a story of a guy who was perpetually good enough but never quite great enough. That .905 save percentage over his career? It’s not terrible, but it’s not exactly Vezina Trophy material either. In a league where margins are razor-thin, “good enough” often isn’t good enough.

The Actual Statistics 

Here’s where we need to have an honest conversation about Dell’s career. The man went 50-50-13 in 130 NHL games. That’s a .500 record, which sounds poetic until you realize it means he lost as many games as he won. His 2.92 GAA wasn’t embarrassing, but it wasn’t inspiring confidence in playoff pushes either.

Dell’s playoff experience tells an even starker story: four games with a 3.08 GAA and .891 save percentage. Those numbers are rough, and in the NHL playoffs, rough numbers mean you’re watching from the press box pretty quickly. Even with the San Jose Sharks, he couldn’t figure it out. 

Dell’s Time In the AHL

Dell’s last few seasons were spent primarily in the AHL and ECHL—leagues where former NHL players go to either rediscover their magic or accept that the magic was never quite there to begin with. Last season with the San Jose Barracuda, Dell posted a 3-3-2 record with a .890 save percentage. Respectable for the AHL, but a far cry from the NHL dreams he once chased.

The move to the ECHL with Wichita Thunder was the clearest sign that Dell’s NHL days were behind him. Sure, he put up decent numbers (6-6-1, .914 save percentage), but playing in the ECHL when you’re 36 isn’t a comeback story—it’s a reality check.

The Legacy: What Dell’s Career Means

Dell’s retirement represents something important in professional hockey: the value of the journey over the destination. Not everyone gets to be Martin Brodeur or Henrik Lundqvist. Most guys are Aaron Dell—talented enough to make it, tough enough to stick around, but not quite elite enough to dominate.

Dell played 130 NHL games, which puts him ahead of roughly 99% of everyone who’s ever laced up skates. He made millions of dollars playing a game he loved, traveled the world, and earned the respect of Hall of Fame players. That’s not a consolation prize—that’s a successful career.