Former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey after 16 seasons in the NHL.

Wheeler shared the news on the Jets at Noon podcast on Wednesday.

“More or less, right after last year I knew I was done,” Wheeler said. “I just haven’t felt like a rush to make a formal announcement or anything. But yeah, after my injury and kinda the way things ended last year, I just didn’t have anything left in the tank. I was at peace with it almost immediately… now I’m just enjoying being a dad and slowing things down, being around my family.”

The Plymouth, Minnesota native last played with the New York Rangers in 2023–24. Unfortunately, his season — and ultimately his career — was cut short by a major knee injury in February. He returned for just one playoff game, which became the final game of his career.

Wheeler, 38, played in 1,172 NHL games across stints with the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, and New York Rangers. He tallied 321 goals and 943 points, with his peak seasons coming in 2017–18 and 2018–19, when he posted back-to-back 91-point campaigns and was named to the NHL All-Star Game.

“I tore the ligaments on both sides of my ankle and then I broke my fibula,” Wheeler explained. “Once I got hurt, I was already kinda feeling like that was gonna be my last year — even when I was healthy in New York. And then when the injury happened, it just felt like some sort of sign. I hadn’t really been hurt my entire career, more or less.”

Wheeler served as the Jets’ captain from 2016 to 2022 before being stripped of the captaincy by former head coach Rick Bowness prior to the 2022–23 season.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound winger ends his career with 321 goals and 622 assists for 943 points in 1,172 regular-season games. He logged a +67 rating, 764 penalty minutes, nearly 3,000 career shots on goal, and averaged 18:11 of ice time per game. In 66 career postseason games, he added 10 goals and 45 points.

Congratulations to Blake Wheeler on a phenomenal career — and best wishes for retirement.