Blake Wheeler and Ryan Clowe are returning to the New York Rangers . Each former NHL forward joins Chris Drury's staff in the Rangers front office for the 2025-26 season.
Wheeler was named hockey operations adviser on Monday. Clowe was named assistant general manager, one day after resigning the same post with the San Jose Sharks .
Neither Wheeler nor Clowe had a long playing tenure with the Rangers . But each left a positive impression on the organization.
Wheeler played the last of his 16 NHL seasons with the Rangers in 2023-24, helping them establish franchise records for wins (55) and points (114). The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy that season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, losing in six games to the Florida Panthers .
The long-time Winnipeg Jets star played a key role with the Rangers that season. Wheeler was an important veteran leader and respected voice in the dressing room. He also played up and down each of the top three lines, until a gruesome injury on Feb. 15, 2024, ended his regular season.
Wheeler was back on the ice for Game 4 of the conference final that spring. That didn't go well and ended up to be the final game he played in the NHL . He officially retired July 19, 2024.
"I tore the ligaments on both sides of my ankle, and then I broke my fibula," Wheeler said at the time . "Once I got hurt, I was already kinda feeling like that was gonna be sort of my last year when I was playing, even healthy in New York. And then when the injury happened, it just felt like that was some sort of sign. I hadn't really been hurt my entire career more or less."
Wheeler totaled 21 points ( nine goals, 12 assists) in 54 games with the Rangers. He had 943 points (321 goals, 622 assists) in 1,172 NHL games with the Boston Bruins , Atlanta Thrashers , Jets, and Rangers.
Ryan Clowe — Kevin Hoffman-Imagn Images
Clowe played 12 games with the Rangers in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. He was acquired in a trade with the Sharks and had eight points (three goals, five assists) and 14 penalty minutes wearing the Blueshirt. Concussion issues derailed his career, though he did play parts of the next two seasons with the New Jersey Devils before retiring as a player.
The 42-year-old worked in the Rangers front office for three seasons prior to serving as Mike Grier's assistant with the Sharks. He also was an assistant coach with the Devils for two seasons.
Clowe appeared in 491 games as a player in the NHL with the Sharks, rangers and Devils, totaling 309 points (112 goals, 197 assists) and 618 penalty minutes.
The Rangers also promoted Ryan Martin to associate general manager. He held the title of assistant GM for the past four years, and will remain general manager of New York's AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
In addition, Jim Sullivan was promoted to assistant GM. He's entering his 17th season with the Rangers and worked his way up the organization after starting out as a video analyst in 2009.
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