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Popular Former Avalanche Forward Calls It A Career After 12 NHL Seasons
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- Popular Former Avalanche Forward Calls It A Career After 12 NHL Seasons
Matt Nieto is done playing hockey.
The former Colorado Avalanche forward announced Monday that he is retiring from the NHL at 33, ending a 12-year career that took him through San Jose, Colorado and Pittsburgh .
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Nieto spent six seasons with the Avalanche across two different stints, playing 287 games and putting up 38 goals and 52 assists for 90 points.
Colorado first brought him in on Jan. 5, 2017, claiming him off waivers from the Sharks. It was a move that gave Nieto a new opportunity, and he quickly became a regular in the Avalanche lineup.
His best offensive season came in 2017-18. Nieto played 74 games, a career high, and scored 15 goals. Colorado liked what it got from him enough to bring him back that summer, signing Nieto to a two-year, $3.95 million contract after avoiding arbitration.
He would eventually leave Colorado, only to return for another stint with the Avalanche later in his career.
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Pittsburgh was where Nieto played his final NHL games. He appeared in 32 games for the Penguins during the 2024-25 season, scoring once and adding two assists. He also played 15 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL, finishing with three goals and four assists.
Nieto sat out the 2025-26 season.
By that point, injuries had made things increasingly difficult. He missed about a year from November 2023 to November 2024 because of knee injuries that required surgery. After taking last season off and trying to find a way back, Nieto decided it was time to call it a career.
"After 12 years in the NHL, I'm officially announcing my retirement from hockey," Nieto wrote on Instagram. "The last few years, I've battled injuries that made playing hockey at the highest level difficult. I took last season off and did everything I could to find my way back."
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Nieto leaves the NHL having played 705 games. He scored 87 goals and recorded 119 assists for 206 points.
Still, he isn't closing the door on the sport itself.
"Hockey will always be a part of who I am," Nieto wrote. "I'm not saying goodbye to hockey, just to being a player."
