Long-time veteran NHL forward and former 1st round pick announces his retirement
Veteran forward and former first round draft pick Riley Sheahan has officially announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 32.
Former Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan has officially retired from professional hockey according to Bill Potrecz of BP Sports Niagara.
Sheahan a first round pick in 2010 played in 637 NHL games & 120 AHL games over a 12 year career representing six different NHL teams. He last played during the 2022-23 season splitting his time between the Buffalo Sabres their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans & EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland.
Sheahan was drafted after his first year at the University of Notre Dame & played there through his junior year before going pro at the end of the 2011-12 season. He tallied 66 points in 114 games with Notre Dame which led to a strong start in the AHL where he posted 38 points in his first 79 games. By 2013-14 Sheahan was playing in the NHL scoring 24 points in 42 games as a rookie earning a regular spot on Detroit's fourth line. He played four more seasons with the Red Wings before being traded to Pittsburgh in 2017 for Scott Wilson & draft picks. His role in Pittsburgh stayed limited & he was traded again about a year later as part of Pittsburgh's deal for Nick Bjugstad & Jared McCann.
From there Sheahan's career took him to Edmonton, Buffalo & Seattle over the next three seasons where he served as a depth forward. He surpassed the 25 point mark only three times in his career, in the 2014-15 (36 points), 2015-16 (25 points), and 2017-18 (32 points) seasons.
Injuries affected Sheahan in the later part of his career with stints on injured reserve in 2019, 2021 & 2022. His last IR placement on October 7th 2022 was due to an undisclosed injury. He played only eight more games in North American leagues before retiring finishing with 194 NHL points & 61 AHL points.
Sheahan told Potrecz that he's now involved in helping with Sunday night development skates for the Niagara North Stars & is open to exploring a coaching career in the future. However for now he's prioritizing time with his wife and two young children.
