Veteran forward Zac Dalpe announced his retirement on Monday after a playing career that saw him appear in 168 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers. 

A second-round pick of the Hurricanes in the 2008 draft, Dalpe made his NHL debut with the team during the 2010-11 season. He bounced between the NHL and AHL from there on, last playing with the Panthers in 2022-23, including appearing in 13 games during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. 

Dalpe spent the past two seasons full-time with the Charlotte Checkers, who he served as captain of since the 2021-22 campaign. He was limited to nine games last season, posting one goal and two assists. 

He announced his retirement in an open letter on the Checkers website.

"When I look back and sort of do a synopsis of my career, I honestly don’t know where to start," Dalpe wrote. "From getting drafted in 2008 to present day in 2025, so much has happened to me.

"One word that comes to mind is 'grind'. Getting called up to the best league in the world is easy to let pass by. The NHL- The Never Hungry League. You’re right there but you’re not quite there. It’s a beautiful thing for me. Nothing ever comes easy so why would this? It’s just a constant battle of hard work and setbacks. Why have it any other way? No f****** thanks, man.

"I do know a couple things though. One thing is for certain is that I never took a day off. I am by no means trying to sound like a 'hero' by saying that. But every single day I tried to become a better hockey player. Every movement or decision I made, I tried to look at it through the eyes of a hockey player. I worked as hard as I possibly could. I owe so much to the game and everything that comes with it. Another thing I know for certain is that I tried to be the best teammate I could and I also never took a day off from that. When my name gets brought up in the future I just hope that those two things are attached to it.

"Nothing ever came natural to me. It was all hard work."