Former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler announced his retirement from the NHL yesterday. Wheeler played 16 seasons in the NHL for the Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers. He played his last game during the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Wheeler is 26th in games played, 25th in goals, 11th in assists and 14th in points among American-born NHL players. He ends his career with two All-Star appearances and 321 goals, 622 assists and 943 points in 1,172 career games.
Wheeler’s Time in the NHL
The Phoenix Coyotes selected Blake Wheeler with the fifth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. He based his play style off Tomas Holmstrom, referencing the Swedish forward in his draft interview. “I had to redefine the way I played,” Wheeler said. “(Last year) I hung out in no-man’s land. They were frustrated that I was a big body and I was standing out on the perimeter. I tried to work on that in the offseason.”
The Coyotes and Wheeler were unable to come to an agreement on an entry-level deal. He later signed with the Bruins, spending his first three professional seasons with Boston. In February of 2011, Wheeler and Mark Stuart were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Boris Valabik and Rich Peverly. Wheeler played just 23 games with the Thrashers before they relocated to Winnipeg and became the Jets.
Wheeler’s Career Soared with Jets
Wheeler spent the majority of his career with the Jets, playing 13 of his 16 NHL years with the organization. In that time, Wheeler reached a career high of 91 points in both the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 season. His physicality, coupled with his leadership, made him one of the best American forwards in the NHL for the 2010s.
The 6’5″, 225 lb forward was a force on the ice throughout his time in Winnipeg. From big hits to bigger goals, he helped the Jets reach the Conference Finals in 2017-18, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
Wheeler’s Injuries Resulted in Retirement
Wheeler spent his last season with the Rangers struggling with injuries and inconsistency. “I tore the ligaments on both sides of my ankle, and then I broke my fibula,” Wheeler said on the “Jets at Noon.” show. “Once I got hurt, I was already kinda feeling like that was gonna be sort of my last year when I was playing, even healthy in New York. And then when the injury happened, it just felt like that was some sort of sign. I hadn’t really been hurt my entire career more or less.”
“More or less, right after last year knew I was all done,” Wheeler said. “I just haven’t felt like a rush to like make a formal announcement or anything. But yeah, after my injury and kinda the way things ended last year, I made peace with it.”
Wheeler holds the Jets record for assists, points and games played, second behind Ilya Kovalchuk in goals. He played his final year in the NHL in the 23-24 season, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 54 games.
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