In the first season after Joe Sakic’s retirement, the Avalanche had a long list of rookies succeed in their first taste of NHL action. The playoff-bound roster was led by 18-year-olds Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, but there was also Chris Stewart, T.J. Galiardi, David Jones, and the emergence of a 24-year-old Brandon Yip.
Now 40, and having spent the last eight years in the KHL, Yip has announced his retirement from professional hockey.
The Avalanche drafted Yip in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL draft. They actually did a great job developing him into a solid forward over the following five years. He spent one more year in the BCHL before playing all four college seasons at BU before signing his entry-level contract.
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Yip started the 2009-10 season injured, but made his way into the lineup in December. He scored his first career goal in his third game and had a two-goal performance against the Detroit Red Wings in just his sixth appearance. He ended the year with 32 games, compiling 11 goals and 19 points in the process.
His points-per-game didn’t quite match up in his second season. Yip finished a tough 2010-11 Avalanche season with a career-high 12 goals, 10 assists, and 22 points in 72 games. He only played 10 more games for the Avalanche after that before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Nashville Predators.
Yip also played for the Phoenix Coyotes and had an unsuccessful PTO with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014 before moving on to a successful career with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. He also played for China at the most recent 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
