Mathew Dumba's professional hockey journey began in the 2012 NHL Draft when the Minnesota Wild made the talented defenseman the No. 7 overall pick.
The Saskatchewan-native then put together an impressive decade in Minnesota and a few more years of hockey before deciding that his journey on skates has concluded.
On Friday, Dumba announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 32 after 748 games at the highest level.
"I'm done," Dumba told the Star Tribune. "It was a good ride, but yeah, just focusing on family now, and it's been really special."
Dumba had played his junior hockey for the Portland Winterhawks and the Red Deer Rebels before coming to the Wild. It didn't take him too long to prove he belonged at the NHL level.
He got 13 games in his debut season in 2013-14 and scored one goal with one assist.
The Wild then gave him 58 games in his age-20 season, and he notched eight goals and eight assists.
Dumba raised it to 10 goals and 16 assists the next year, then 11 goals and 23 assists in 2016-17.
His career year was 2017-18 — Dumba played in all 82 games and had a career-high 14 goals and a career-high 36 assists.
He went for 12 goals and 10 assists in just 32 games the next year as injuries stopped what was looking like another huge year.
Dumba would play for the Wild through the 2022-23 season. He appeared in 598 games for Minnesota with 79 goals and 157 assists (236 points). Dumba also dished out 816 hits for the Wild while blocking 699 shots, a player that could definitely get the job done at both ends of the ice.
Dumba also won the prestigious Clancy Award (for community contributions) during the 2019-20 season.
Dumba left the Wild in the 2023 offseason to join the Arizona Coyotes. He lasted 58 games there and scored four goals with six assists.
The Coyotes moved Dumba to the Tampa Bay Lightning to end the 2023-24 campaign, and he had two assists in 18 games for the Bolts.
Dumba then joined the Dallas Stars for 2024-25 and had his final full season, appearing in 63 NHL games and notching one goal with nine assists.
In 2025-26, Dumba got 11 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins (one goal, two assists) but played more with their AHL affiliate.
He was a free agent this offseason but didn't sign anywhere, and he was in Minnesota for pregame festivities at their home opener on Oct. 3, which is when he told the local media there that he was retiring.
Dumba put together quite the career, and now he can step away from the game knowing that he made a strong impact in the NHL, particularly in Minnesota.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Wild 1st-Round Pick Retires After 748 NHL Games appeared first on HEAVY .
