Jesper Fast announced his retirement from professional hockey on Monday.
The 33-year-old Carolina Hurricanes right winger suffered a neck injury in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season, missed the playoffs and underwent neck surgery that August. He didn't play in the 2024-25 season.
"I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world," Fast said in a statement the Hurricanes released. "I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream.
"I'd also like to thank Nassjo HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player."
Although Fast was a sixth-round draft pick in the 2010 NHL draft, the 157th overall pick ranks 24th overall in career scoring from that draft class, with 248 points in 703 games, and 24th in most goals, with 91.
He broke into the NHL with the Rangers in 2013-14, playing 11 games in the regular season but recording his first point in three playoff games. His first career goal came in November 2014 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fast split the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns between the Rangers and their AHL affiliate, but he appeared in 19 games during the Blueshirts' run to the Stanley Cup final in 2015, putting up three goals and six points. He became an NHL full-timer in 2015-16, recording 30 points in 79 games. He bested that total in two of his 11 career seasons, with 33 points in 2017-18 and 34 points in 2021-22.
After logging a career-high 16:36 average ice time in 2019-20, Fast left the Rangers to sign a three-year contract worth $2 million annually with the Hurricanes. He re-signed with Carolina for two years in 2023.
In the 2023 post-season, Fast not only scored the overtime-winner in Game 2 of the first round against the New York Islanders but also the series-clincher against the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the second round.
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