December 20, 2023
UPDATE [12/21, 9:20 a.m.] – Global News in Winnipeg has since followed up that Patrick has not retired from hockey, and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman verified with Patrick that he hasn't officially retired, though seems to want to stay under the radar.
Reached out to Patrick today, he politely declined to talk...but did text to say he has not officially retired. It's clear he prefers to stay under the radar. https://t.co/wbMY2BYQBP
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 20, 2023
The Instagram post that originally listed Patrick as retired has also since been updated to remove that part.
EARLIER...
Nolan Patrick's NHL career appears to be over.
The former No. 2 overall pick to the Flyers in the 2017 draft, Patrick was discovered to have been listed as "a retired pro with significant NHL experience" in an Instagram post for a startup hockey coaching program dubbed "The Power Play," which consists of a staff of several former and current pro players.
Patrick, 25, last played in the league on March 24, 2022 for the Vegas Golden Knights.
A Winnipeg native and a Canadian junior star for the Brandon Wheat Kings, Patrick was the consensus No. 1 overall pick for much of the leadup to the 2017 draft but carried an injury history that brought concern going in.
Still, he stood to be a potential star for whatever franchise landed him if he could stay healthy, and that ended up being the Flyers after they jumped ahead in the draft lottery in what, at the time, was thought to be a massive shift in fortune for then GM Ron Hextall's quiet rebuild of the team.
Patrick put up 30 points in his rookie season and then 31 in his sophomore campaign while showing flashes of the highly-skilled player he could become.
Concussion issues piled up, however, and then a migraine disorder that cost him the entire 2019-20 season and has lingered ever since, preventing him from consistently staying on the ice.
In the summer of 2021, Patrick was dealt to Vegas by way of the Nashville Predators as part of the Flyers' infamous trade for defenseman Ryan Ellis – a deal that went on to prove a loss for everyone involved.
Patrick only skated 25 games for the Golden Knights that season and was absent completely for their run to the Stanley Cup last year.
Taken before and after Patrick at No. 2 in 2017, in what will forever be a sore spot for Flyers fans: Nico Hischier at No.1 (now captain of the New Jersey Devils), Miro Heiskanen at No. 3 (a top defenseman for the Dallas Stars), and Cale Makar at No. 4 (an outright star and Cup-winning blue liner for the Colorado Avalanche).
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