Former first-round pick announces retirement at only 30-years-old

The National Hockey League Alumni Association's Twitter account shared on Thursday that former first-round pick Sven Baertschi is retiring at only 30-years-old.

Baertschi, a native of Bern, Switzerland, was selected 13th overall by the Calgary Flames back in 2011 and made his NHL debut that season, scoring in only his second-ever game.

He went on to appear in 292 games across parts of ten seasons with the Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights where he put up 138 points (66 goals, 72 assists), 78 penalty minutes and was a minus-34.

After the spending the majority of the 2021-22 season in the American Hockey League, Baertschi decided to return home to Switzerland and signed with SC Bern for the 2022-23 campaign. He recorded 14 points in 36 games in his final professional season with his hometown club.


Congratulations to Sven Baertschi on a solid professional hockey career and all the best in retirement!