Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg to retire at season's end after 12-year NHL career

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg says he will retire at the end of the regular season.

The 33-year-old Silfverberg announced the decision on social media Thursday. After starting his NHL career in Ottawa, he has been with the Ducks since 2013, serving as an alternate captain for the past five years.

Silfverberg has 158 goals and 196 assists in his tenure with the Ducks, scoring more goals than anyone on the team since his arrival 11 years ago. He is fifth in franchise history in goals, games played (769) and shots, while ranking third in short-handed goals.

“To spend 11 years in Orange County playing for the Ducks is something I will cherish every day," Silfverberg said in a statement.

Silfverberg was considered one of the NHL's top defensive forwards during his prime, and he was a key contributor to Anaheim teams that made the Western Conference finals in 2015 and 2017.

He was selected to play in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, although he sat out to attend the birth of his second child. He also made a strong comeback in 2022 after missing the final 23 games of the 2021-22 season because of a blood clot in his right leg.

“He was the ultimate character player for the Ducks, Senators and his native Sweden, leading by example and always putting the team first," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "His contributions on the ice and in the Orange County community will have a lasting impact.”

Silfverberg has seven goals and 12 assists in 78 games this season for the Ducks, who will miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Anaheim has three games left, with its home finale Friday against Calgary.

Silfverberg was a second-round pick by Ottawa in 2009, but he spent three more seasons with Brynäs IF in his native Sweden's top league before making his NHL debut during the Senators' playoff run in 2012.

Ottawa traded Silfverberg to Anaheim in July 2013 as part of a package for Bobby Ryan.

Silfverberg also won an Olympic silver medal for Sweden at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

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