Golden Bears legend Derek Ryan retires from the NHL

Derek Ryan wasn’t the headline recruit when he showed up at Clare Drake Arena in 2007. He was smaller than most centres, and there were doubts about whether he could hang in Canada West. Within months, those questions were gone. Ryan was a key player in the Bears’ 2007-08 University Cup win, where he frequently created high-chance scoring opportunities.

Every year, his numbers climbed. In 2008-09 he put up 35 points in 25 games. The next year, 39 points in 28 games. Then in his senior season, he exploded for 47 points, leading the conference in scoring and being named MVP. By the time he left the program, he had 58 goals and 146 points in 109 games. That worked out to 1.34 points a night: a rate that speaks for itself. He also had six game-winners, the kind of production that made him central to every big moment the Bears had.

Path to the pros

When his university career wrapped up, Ryan didn’t walk into a National Hockey League (NHL) contract. Instead, he went to Europe. He spent time in Hungary, Austria, and Sweden, and kept producing. He won league MVP in back-to-back seasons overseas, first in Austria in 2014 and then in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2015. Those years gave him the break he’d been chasing. Carolina brought him back to North America, and he finally got his shot at the NHL.

Ryan played 10 years in the NHL. He kicked off in Carolina, moved through Calgary, and wrapped things up at home with the Edmonton Oilers. In 606 games, he scored 86 goals plus 127 assists.

Most nights, he was in a bottom-six role. Coaches leaned on him for the hard stuff: defensive-zone starts, penalty kills, and safe minutes down the middle. Faceoffs were his bread and butter. He never dipped below 50 per cent in a season. In his final year with the Oilers, he won an impressive 60.4 per cent of his draws.

Edmonton ties

When he first signed in 2021 with the Oilers, the city welcomed him gladly. Fans loved seeing a Golden Bears alumnus wear the Oilers jersey. He was not brought in to chase scoring records, though he did come through with big moments. He scored hat trick against Florida in 2022, making him the oldest Oiler to ever accomplish this achievement. He excelled in making smart plays, winning faceoffs, and being reliable in the defensive zone.

Ryan rarely made the highlight reels. What he earned instead was respect. Teammates respected his relentless effort, especially in the playoffs. He helped the Oilers push through four postseasons, including two trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

By the end, he was 37, and one of the oldest players on the roster. However, his age was not evident in his playstyle. Coaches Jay Woodcroft, and, later, Kris Knoblauch kept him in the lineup because he gave them what they needed every night: reliability.

For the university crowd, seeing Ryan play in Rogers Place reminded them of a career that started across town in Clare Drake Arena. Few Bears have ever climbed that far. Even fewer have done it by taking the route Ryan did: undrafted, undersized, and overlooked, yet still making it last nearly a decade in the NHL.

Ryan retires with a résumé that draws experience from all areas of the game: U Sports champion, European MVP, and NHL veteran. His story is unusual in almost every way, which is exactly why it’s remembered.