Former 1st-Rounder Riley Sheahan Done With The NHL

He was a first-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft (21st overall) by the Detroit Red Wings. Now, after parts of 12 years in the league, and a full season out of the National Hockey League, Riley Sheahan has made the difficult decision to retire at the age of 32.

It was tough. You definitely associate yourself with a sport and your ego — you definitely get voices in your head saying, ‘I wish I could still be doing this.’ I feel debatably like I do have some juice left, but you kind of have to make the agreement what’s best for you and my family.

Sheahan spent four full seasons with the Red Wings to start his career before being dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins. From there, he went on to play with the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken. His final season, in 2022-23, he only got into two games with the Sabres, spent another six in the AHL, then played a 12-game stint in Switzerland.

Sheahan told Bill Potrecz of BP Sports Niagara that bouncing around from team to team in the second half of his career really took its toll on him.

“Year after year and being part of a new group of people and trying to break the ice and all the relationships and then all of a sudden, they’re gone. That stuff is really hard on me and it takes you away from the game too.

“I’ve played the game to really enjoy it, to make plays and to feel excited out there and now that was starting to go away."

All in all, Sheahan played in 637 NHL games, and registered 194 points, averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time per night.

He's looking forward to the next phase of his life, with a young family of his wife and two young boys.