Journeyman Matt Irwin retires after 11 NHL seasons

Longtime NHL defenseman Matt Irwin announced his retirement Thursday via the NHLPA.

A veteran of 461 NHL regular-season games, Irwin’s career counted stops with the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, and Washington Capitals. The two-way defender last appeared in the NHL with the Capitals in 2022-23 before skating in 65 games last season with the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s top minor-league affiliate.

“I would like to thank all of the organizations that took a chance on me and allowed me to wear their jersey and represent their team and city,” Irwin said in a statement, per the NHLPA. “I want to thank all of the coaches and staff on each team that helped me reach my potential and become the player I was on the ice.”

In all, through 461 career games, Irwin collected 25 goals and 68 assists for 93 points, in addition to skating in 47 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, underscored by the 2017 postseason in which he appeared in all 22 games of the Predators’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. At the AHL level, Irwin amassed 314 career games in which he registered 32 goals and 103 assists for 135 points across stints with Worcester, Abbotsford, the Providence Bruins, and the Milwaukee Admirals.

A native of Victoria, B.C., Irwin played parts of four seasons with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, counting back-to-back seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08 in which he was recognized as the Coastal Conference’s top defenseman.

Irwin then played two seasons with the NCAA’s UMass Minutemen before signing with the Sharks as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He represented the AHL’s then-Worcester Sharks at the 2012 AHL All-Star Game as part of a minor-pro campaign in which he finished with 42 points, scoring 11 goals and 31 assists through 71 appearances.