Veteran NHLer and ex-Edmonton Oilers forward Derek Ryan has officially announced his retirement. After one of hockey's most interesting careers, Ryan played for 10 seasons in the NHL, spending time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, and the Oilers. 

Ryan was undrafted and didn't debut until he was almost 30 years old. Despite the late start, he played in 606 regular-season games and tallied 82 goals and 127 assists for 209 points.

He played until the age of 38 and made several Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

The road to the NHL was a long one for Ryan. He spent years in Europe, earning MVP and Forward of the Year honors. His final season of international hockey came in the SweHL for Orebro HK in 2014-15. 

From there, he got noticed by the Hurricanes and earned a contract, playing with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. He spent most of the 2015-16 season there, getting into 70 games before getting six games in Carolina. That next season, he played exclusively for the Hurricanes. He played 153 games there before moving to the Calgary Flames, where he played 192 games and 80 points. 

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Ryan spent his final four seasons in Edmonton, contributing 29 goals and 60 points in 261 games. Though he played just 36 games last season and wasn't thrilled about his demotion to the AHL, he remained a steady depth option and became a critical part of the Oilers' recent playoff and Cup runs.

Ryan’s career is the perfect example of persistence, resilience, and overcoming odds.

Congratulations to Derek Ryan on a remarkable run. The Oilers wrote on Friday, " Congrats to former Oilers forward Derek Ryan on his accomplished career!"

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