Former National Hockey League All-Star right winger Blake Wheeler of Plymouth, Minnesota has retired at the age of 38. Wheeler confirmed his decision while speaking to Jim Toth and Cam Poitras on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg this past week according to Josh Erickson of Pro Hockey Rumors on Saturday. Wheeler was a fixture in the Jets’s organization on and off the ice. Known for his leadership skills, Wheeler was the Jets captain from 2016 to 2022. Off the ice, he helped organize an indoor cycling challenge called “Wheel with the Wheelers” which raised money for Manitoba families who had children battling or had batted cancer.
Did not play in 2024-25
Wheeler was unsigned this past season. He was an unrestricted free agent, but did not receive any contract offers. While with the New York Rangers in 2023-24, Wheeler had 21 points in 54 games. However, his season was headlined by a leg injury on February 15, 2024 in a 7-4 Rangers win over the Montreal Canadiens. He broke his fibula and tore the ligaments on both sides of his ankle according to Russ Hobson of Global News. Wheeler only played one game after the post Valentine’s Day injury from 2024. That came in a 3-2 Rangers loss to the Florida Panthers in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals. Wheeler played nine minutes and 18 seconds and took a costly two-minute hooking penalty in the first minute of overtime. Sam Reinhart scored the overtime winner for the Panthers from Aleksander Barkov and Brandon Montour 13 seconds after the Wheeler infraction. Interestingly, that was Wheeler’s last time playing a NHL game.
Who did Wheeler play for?
Wheeler played for three NHL franchises. He was with the Boston Bruins for three seasons from 2008 to 2011, 13 seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets from 2011 to 2023, and then one final season with the Rangers in 2023 to 2024.
Wheeler’s NHL career statistics
Wheeler had 321 goals and 622 assists for 943 points in 1172 games. He was a +67 with 764 penalty minutes, 255 power-play points, 24 shorthanded points, 49 game-winning goals, 2955 shots on goal, 808 faceoff wins, 722 blocked shots, 1351 hits, 552 takeaways, and 523 giveaways. Wheeler is the Jets/Thrashers all-time leader in games played (897), assists (550), points (812), and shots on goal (2462).
All-Star Seasons
Wheeler was an All-Star with the Jets in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Both seasons he had a career-high of 91 points. In 2017-18, Wheeler tied the NHL lead with 68 assists. The other player that season with 68 assists was Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers.
