Jesper Fast announces retirement from NHL

A longtime two-way player is hanging up his skates.

On Monday, Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast announced that he is retiring from the NHL.

Fast thanked all the fans and teams he played with over his career.

“I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,” Fast said in a release. “I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream. I’d also like to thank Nässjö HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player.”

Fast missed the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing neck surgery in early August that stemmed from an injury he suffered in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season.

Fast broke into the NHL during the 2013-14 season with the New York Rangers, the team that took the Swedish winger in the sixth round, 157th overall, of the 2010 NHL Draft. He played a few games during those playoffs, as the Blueshirts made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

He became a mainstay in the Rangers lineup the following year, and his career was off and running. Fast ended up spending parts of seven seasons on Broadway, helping the team make it to the playoffs five times.

In 2020, Fast went on to sign with the Hurricanes, where he would spend the final five years of his career. The solid depth player was a key part of the Canes’ rise to being in the upper-echelon of the NHL as Carolina advanced to the postseason every year he was with the team, going as far as the Eastern Conference Final in 2023.

In 703 career NHL appearances, Fast scored 91 goals and 157 assists for 248 points, with another 27 points in 80 postseason games.