Jakob Silfverberg will retire from the NHL after the 2023-24 season, the Anaheim Ducks forward announced on Thursday.
Silfverberg has played 12 seasons for the Ducks and Ottawa Senators. The 33-year-old will skate in his final home game with the Ducks against the Calgary Flames at Honda Center on Friday (10 p.m. ET; KCOP-13, SN1).
"It's been an honor and privilege to play in the National Hockey League," Silfverberg said in a statement. "I want to thank the Samueli family for being who they are, gracious, community-minded owners that support their team while making a significant impact in our community. Obviously, I wouldn't be where I am without my teammates, all the trainers and staff that have helped me along the way. Most importantly, thank you to my family who have supported me as I lived out a dream."
Silfverberg has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 78 games for the Ducks this season. Anaheim (26-48-5) ends its season at the Vegas Golden Knights on April 18.
Silfverberg has 354 points in 769 regular-season games since being acquired in a trade with the Senators on July 5, 2013, ranking seventh in points and fifth in goals in Ducks history. His 158 goals following the trade is the most by a Ducks player and he had a role in six consecutive postseason appearances from 2013-18, which included two trips to the Western Conference Final in 2015 and 2017. His 16 goals and 41 points are fourth in Ducks playoff history and his 25 assists are seventh.
"On behalf of the entire Ducks organization, congratulations to Jakob on an outstanding NHL career," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "He was the ultimate character player for the Ducks, Senators and his native Sweden, leading by example and always putting the team first. His contributions on the ice and in the Orange County community will have a lasting impact."
Selected by Ottawa in the second round (No. 39) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Silfverberg played one season for the Senators in 2012-13 (19 points; 10 goals, nine assists in 48 games) before he and forward Stefan Noesen were traded to Anaheim with a first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft for forward Bobby Ryan.
Silfverberg was the Ducks nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2022-23, given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. He entered the 2021-22 season after recovering from hip surgery in April 2021 for a femoroacetabular impingement and to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. He missed the final 23 games that season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right leg.
Silfverberg represented Sweden seven times, winning silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2011 IIHF World Championship, and bronze at the 2010 World Junior Championship. He also played for Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey 2016.
"Thank you to the fans around the League, specifically in Anaheim and Ottawa," Silfverberg said. "To spend 11 years in Orange County playing for the Ducks is something I will cherish every day, thanks in large part to all of you."
