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Calgary Wranglers captain Brett Sutter announces retirement, joins club as assistant coach
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Photo credit: David Moll/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jul 16, 2024, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 15, 2024, 20:28 EDT
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One of the largest unknowns of the Calgary Wranglers as they went into the off-season was whether or not their captain, Brett Sutter would be returning for another season. As of July 15, that question has been answered. Brett Sutter will remain in the organization but the only captain in Wranglers history so far is retiring on the playing side of his career. He will instead be with the team in the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach.
The Wranglers made the official announcement on Monday afternoon. This seems to be the perfect transition role for a player who racked up over 1,000 games in the AHL and created an exceptional culture for his young up-and-coming teammates. Sutter’s last season wasn’t a complete one due to injuries but his impact was still felt.
Brett Sutter was the 179th overall pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2005 NHL Draft. He played with the Quad City Flames in 2007-08 and debuted with the Flames in 2008-09. He played in four games in the NHL that season and put up his first and only goal in the league that year in his NHL debut on Dec. 23, 2008 against the Anaheim Ducks.
He played in a handful of games with the Flames in the next two seasons before joining the Carolina Hurricanes organization. He played between the AHL as the Charlotte Checkers captain and NHL with the Hurricanes for a few games for three seasons before heading to the Minnesota Wild organization for a year and a half. He started the 2015/16 season with the Iowa Wild then joined the Ontario Reign for the remainder of the season.
His next six seasons were with the Ontario Reign serving as the Captain in five of those seasons before the Calgary Wranglers came to be. These worlds collided in Brett Sutter’s first year with the Wranglers. He reached the 1,000-game mark in the American Hockey League on Dec. 21, 2022, and that opponent was none other than the Reign. This was a very special night for him and his family and a highlight of the first season of Wranglers hockey. Sutter also scored a shorthanded goal in this milestone game.
Sutter played in nearly every game in the Wranglers’ inaugural season putting up 14 goals and 15 assists. In his final season with Calgary as a player, he played in 46 games putting up eight goals and two assists. His career totals finished up at 1,090 games in the AHL with 198 goals and 265 assists. In the NHL, he played 60 games and put up two goals and eight assists. 
Sutter went out with a bang too. The general feeling around the room is once that last game ended, no one, not even Brett seemed to be sure what the future would hold. Some time away from hockey and more family time likely helped him find clarity in his decision. Up until development camp earlier this month, Brett Sutter was training as if he were going to play again next year. He said a conversation with Brad Pascall and Craig Conroy opened up this opportunity to stay involved in a different way.
He told Brendan Parker of Flames TV he took some time to process it with his family and leaned on his dad, Darryl Sutter, for some advice. Brett said:
“I went through some options with my Dad last week when I was home at the farm and spent a few days with him. He was great. He said, this is what you can expect with everything and didn’t push me one way or another. But for me, I always wanted to try to stay in hockey and this is a great way to do it. I have a passion for it and I’m looking forward to it.”
Brett acknowledged there will be some slightly changed relationships when his teammates go from that role to reporting to him as a coach. He referred to them as little brothers and guys his kids call their uncles. His love for the guys in the room is reflected when he said:
“I’m just so fortunate to have this opportunity to stay in the organization and come back and help these kids I care about so much on the Wranglers. So, my family is real excited.”
The best news out of this is he is doing what is best for him and staying involved in an integral role to carry on the success this team has had in the first two years. Brett Sutter reflected on the career path that got him here saying:
“We got to go full circle and come back to Calgary. So it’s a great way to end it.”

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