Leafs goalie prospect Ian Scott announces retirement

At just 23 years of age, Ian Scott is retiring from hockey.

The fourth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs from the 2017 NHL Draft announced in an Instagram post on Thursday that his decision was due to injuries.

“No athlete wants to make this kind of post but I have decided to step away from playing hockey,” Scott said. “Over the past few years I’ve been battling injuries and working hard to get back to full playable health but unfortunately I have decided to take a step back & start a new life chapter.”

Scott was named the CHL’s Goaltender of The Year for 2018-19 after posting a .932 save percentage over 49 games with the Prince Albert Raiders. Scott led the Raiders to the WHL Championship that season and he also represented Canada at the World Juniors.

After that, Scott hardly saw any game action as injuries and bad luck derailed his career.

Scott missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season after undergoing hip surgery, he was limited to six games between the AHL and ECHL in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, and injuries again resulted in him appearing in just one game with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL in 2021-22.