Though he may have hung up his skates, Blake Wheeler won’t be stepping away from hockey.
Wheeler, who announced his retirement from the NHL in July, is joining the New York Rangers front office in a hockey operations advisory role, the team announced on Monday.
Meanwhile, fellow ex-NHLer Ryane Clowe, who recently resigned from the San Jose Sharks front office, is also headed to the Ranger as assistant general manager, while Jim Sullivan was promoted to the same position.
The 39-year-old Wheeler enjoyed a 16-year career in the NHL, most of which was spent with the Winnipeg Jets, with whom he played 13 seasons.
However, he was released by the team after the 2022-23 season, which led to him joining the Rangers on a one-year deal for the following season.
Wheeler was a popular presence with the Rangers during his lone season with the team, according to Mercogliano.
He finished with nine goals and 12 assists in his season with the Rangers — his last in the NHL — and played his final regular-season game on Feb. 15 before suffering torn ligaments in his ankle and breaking his fibula.
He managed to return for one playoff game, a Game 4 Eastern Conference Final loss to the Florida Panthers, but was unable to compete in the remainder of the series.
Wheeler’s career spanned 1,172 regular-season games, split between the Rangers, Jets, Atlanta Thrashers and Boston Bruins. He finished with 321 goals and 943 points.
The Plymouth, Minn., native ends his career as the Jets’ all-time leader in assists (550) and points (897) while ranking second in goals behind Ilya Kovalchuk.
Clowe, 42, played 491 NHL games between the 2005-06 and 2014-25 seasons with the Sharks, Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
The St. John’s native recorded 112 goals and 197 assists for his career.
Sullivan was previously New York’s director of analytics.