Baertschi retires from professional hockey after 13 seasons

Sven Baertschi retired from professional hockey on Thursday after 13 seasons.

Baertschi played 10 seasons in the NHL from 2011-22, his last game coming with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021-22 season. The 30-year-old forward, who was born in Bern, played last season with SC Bern in the National League, the top professional league in Sweden. He had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 36 games.

"Today I announce my retirement as a professional ice hockey player with mixed feelings," Baertschi said in a statement from SC Bern. "It is a painful decision. Ice hockey is a sport that demands everything from the body. Like most players, I've had a series of injuries that are now taking their toll. After months of training, I realized that my body could no longer perform the way I needed it to."

Selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round (No. 13) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Baertschi had 138 points (66 goals, 72 assists) in 292 regular-season games for the Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Golden Knights and no points in two Stanley Cup Playoff games.

At the time he was drafted, only one Switzerland-born player had ever been selected earlier in an NHL Draft (Nino Niederreiter; No. 5, 2010).

"Being drafted in the first round made me incredibly proud," Baertschi said. "But I never forgot where I came from, and how I got there. That's another reason why it was always my goal to return to Switzerland one day to play in front of my friends and family. It gives me a good feeling to be able to play my last games as a professional ice hockey player where my journey began, and where my home is. … I hope I could inspire many young Swiss players to always believe in themselves. Pursue your dreams and don't let them stop you!"