The Edmonton Oilers kicked off the 2026-27 season with an ugly 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
This was certainly not the way that the Oilers wanted to begin their season. They will be aiming to bounce back when they face Vancouver in their next game on Thursday.
Now, following the Oilers’ season-opening loss to the Canucks, one of their former players has surprisingly announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Former Edmonton Oilers Forward Ryan Spooner Retires Shortly Into the 2026-27 Season
Former Oilers forward Ryan Spooner has announced his retirement from professional hockey shortly into the 2026-27 season.
Spooner had signed a contract with HK Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga in early September, but he has now quickly decided to hang up his skates.
Spooner released a statement regarding his retirement through the Slovak club.
“I would like to thank the Dukla fans for their support and for the way they welcomed me in Trencin,” Spooner said. “I have really enjoyed my time at this club and I sincerely believed that I would play one more season. Ending my career was not an easy decision for me, but I feel it is the right one. Once again, I would like to thank the club, my teammates and the fans for everything and I will keep my fingers crossed for the guys this season.”
Spooner played in five games for Dukla Trencin this season before retiring, where he posted one goal and four points. Overall, he was solid during his brief time with the club.
Looking Back at Spooner’s Time With the Oilers
The Oilers acquired Spooner from the New York Rangers during the 2018-19 season in exchange for forward Ryan Strome. This was after he had one goal and one assist in 16 games with the Rangers that campaign before the trade.
The hope was that Spooner would be able to bounce back after being traded to the Oilers. Yet, he was never able to get things going with the Pacific Division club. In 25 games with Edmonton following the trade, he posted two goals, one assist, and a minus-6 rating. He also had two goals and six points in seven games with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, after clearing waivers.
Spooner’s time with the Oilers ended later that same season. This is because Edmonton traded him to the Canucks in February 2019 in exchange for forward Sam Gagner. From there, Spooner recorded four assists in 11 games for the Canucks that season before spending the remainder of his professional career overseas from 2019-20 to this campaign.
Former Edmonton Oilers Forward Surprisingly Announces Retirement