Zack Kassian is hanging the skates up after a long NHL career.
The Windsor, Ontario, native announced today that he is retiring from professional hockey. He last played with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2022-23 NHL season.
Kassian spent 12 seasons in the NHL. He played 661 career games, finishing with 92 goals and 111 assists for 203 points.
The bruising power forward also racked up 903 penalty minutes as he was always willing to play a physical game.
He was originally drafted with the 13th pick in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. He would go on to play for three other franchises in the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Arizona Coyotes. He was also briefly a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization in 2015, although he never appeared in a game with the team.
“To play in the NHL is one thing, but to make a 12-year career of it is pretty special,” said Kassian in a statement released by the NHLPA. “From coaches to equipment staff and fellow players I’ve met along the way, I’ve made so many relationships that are going to last a lifetime.”
Kassian played a large role on the 2016-17 Oilers team that made it to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. He finished that season with 24 points and 101 penalty minutes across 79 regular season games.
His best season statistically came in 2019-20 when he scored 15 goals and added 19 assists for 34 points in just 59 games with the Oilers. He spent seven years in total with the Oilers organization before being traded to the Coyotes where he finished his career.
Kassian attended Anaheim Ducks training camp earlier this year on a professional tryout but didn’t make the final roster.
Alongside his long NHL career, Kassian has a variety of other hockey accolades. He is a Memorial Cup champion as he won with his hometown Windsor Spitfires in 2010 and won a silver medal with Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championships.
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