Jesper Fast Retires After 11 NHL Seasons with Hurricanes and Rangers

RALEIGH, N.C. — Jesper Fast, a right winger for the Carolina Hurricanes, has announced his retirement from professional hockey after 11 seasons in the NHL. The announcement was made on June 2, 2025.

Fast, 33, expressed gratitude for his career, stating, “I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world. 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.”

Originally selected by the New York Rangers in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Fast played 703 regular-season games during his career, scoring 91 goals and providing 157 assists for a total of 248 points. He also maintained a plus-41 plus/minus rating.

Fast played for both the Rangers and the Hurricanes throughout his career. He joined the Hurricanes as a free agent on October 20, 2020, and achieved career highs in the 2021-22 season, recording 14 goals and 34 points in 82 games.

During the 2023 playoffs, he scored two overtime winners, making him one of only four players in franchise history to do so in a single postseason. Fast reached his 200th career NHL point with a goal against the Islanders on April 24, 2022, and played his 700th game on April 9, 2024, in Boston.

Fast’s final season was marred by a neck injury sustained during the Hurricanes’ 2024 playoff run, which required surgery and caused him to miss the entire 2024-25 season.

The forward closed his career with a statement recognizing the teams and organizations that contributed to his development, thanking both Nässjö HC and HV71.