Airdrie goaltender Aaron Dell has retired after 13 seasons of professional hockey. Dell, 36, announced his decision Sept. 4 in a post to Instagram.
“After 13 seasons of professional hockey the time has come for me to hang up the skates and leave my playing days behind me,” Dell wrote. “I wanted to thank all of the people that believed in me and supported me throughout my career. Lots of ups and downs. An undrafted 6 foot tall goalie that was given a chance by the San Jose Sharks organization.
“When I look at some of the names I had the privilege of working with like Nabokov, Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau, Couture, Karlsson, Burns and so many great players that I will always consider friends, I feel very fortunate. I want to thank all the on and off ice staff as well as my teammates that I’ve worked with throughout the past 13 years. I also want to thank the fans but I mostly want to thank my wife Nicolette who stood by me during this wild roller coaster ride traveling all over the country so that I could continue to live my dream.
“I hope I’ve made an impact with some of the young players I’ve played with still chasing their dreams. Without the belief and support from my family, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not sure what the future holds for me now but my number one priority will be being a father and a husband. Onto the next chapter.”
The Airdrie Techmation Thunder, where Dell played parts of two seasons in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League between 2005 and 2007, paid tribute Monday on social media.
“The Airdrie Techmation Thunder would like to congratulate alumni Aaron Dell on an incredible professional hockey career,” the team wrote on X. “We wish him all the best in retirement and look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds.”
According to EliteProspects, Dell played minor hockey in Airdrie before joining the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and then moving on to the University of North Dakota. In 2010-11 he led the NCAA in wins and goals-against average, and in 2012 he was named MVP of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament.
NHL.com says Dell signed with the San Jose Sharks on March 4, 2015, and went on to play seven seasons in the League with San Jose, the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. He appeared in 130 regular-season games, posting a 50-50-13 record, a 2.92 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and five shutouts.
NHL.com also notes Dell won a career-high 15 games in 2017-18 and started 30 in 2019-20 before the season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His last NHL appearance was Feb. 14, 2023, when he made 25 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
EliteProspects lists Dell’s most recent play in the American Hockey League and ECHL, including 10 games for the San Jose Barracuda in 2024-25 and 13 games for the Wichita Thunder that same season. The database also records his appearance with Team Canada at the 2023 Spengler Cup.
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