If anyone had a prolonged career in the NHL, it’s Jaromír Jágr. The Czech winger played for the National Hockey League for over 20 seasons for nine teams, racking up 1733 games. However, for the Winnipeg Jets star Chaz Lucius, life hasn’t been as kind. Instead, the 2021 draft pick has to hang up his skating gear even before stepping onto the ice with the big boys.
After an impressive 2021-22 season with the Minnesota Gophers, Lucius became one of the top prospects in the nation. His 3-year entry-level deal with the Winnipeg Jets was a result of the 19 points he hauled that season in 24 games in the NCAAs. While Chaz’s 54 games with the Jets’ AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose showed potential, it looks like he won’t be getting a chance to share locker room space with the likes of David Gustafsson, after all. But why?
The Winnipeg Jets’ 2021 pick has walked into a dead end
B/R Open Ice posted on X on April 8 to share the saddening reason behind Lucius’s early retirement. “21-year-old Jets prospect Chaz Lucius has announced his diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and retirement from professional hockey,” the social media update notes with a heavy heart. The Lawrence, Kansas native suffers from a hereditary tissue disorder, which has cut short his potentially scintillating NHL career.
21-year-old Jets prospect Chaz Lucius has announced his diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and retirement from professional hockey.
EDS is a hereditary condition that affects the body’s connective tissues. pic.twitter.com/oCQmYPM0oy
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 8, 2025
While the disorder isn’t life-threatening, it does take its toll, and the Winnipeg Jets signee had to make the radical decision in order to focus on his health. The Cleveland Clinic notes that EDS is “a genetic condition that makes your body’s connective tissue weaker than it should be.” When the Athletic’s Murat Ates ranked Lucius as the Jets’ No. 1 prospect two years ago, he noted that Lucius had already spent three back-to-back seasons on the sidelines, and had already had several body parts repaired by surgery.
“It is with great disappointment that I am announcing my retirement from playing professional hockey,” Chaz wrote in an official statement. “As I struggled with incurring and recovering from various joint injuries over the past several years, I had thought I was just unlucky. With this diagnosis of EDS, I now realize that my body impacted by EDS could not handle the physical nature of playing hockey,” he elaborated as to why the drastic step was necessary.
Because of his inability to stay healthy, Chaz had fallen to eighth among the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects only a year after being hailed as the top prospect. “After much discussion and consultation with Chaz, his representatives, and medical professionals, the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club fully supports his difficult decision to retire…we understand his choice,” the Jets stated.
While it’s unfortunate that Lucius won’t be making a name for himself in the NHL, one thing’s for sure: the memories he gave the hockey community won’t be fading away any time soon.
A potential nipped before its full bloom
A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Chaz was en route to finding his place among the top stars of the NHL. He was also named in the national team for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was ultimately disrupted because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Lucius also competed for the U.S. at the 2023 World Junior Championship, where his thrilling hat-trick and a superb clutch performance in OT against Sweden brought Team USA the bronze at the competition.
If things had gone well, Lucius could have been the first-ever player from Kansas to make it to the NHL. But that seems like a distant dream right now. Naturally, fans are feeling the blues as they come to terms with the harsh reality that cuts short the Winnipeg Jets’ possible future sensation. However, Chaz seems to handle the situation well for his age. His condition has given him an insight into how EDS can alter the course of life for a person, and he aims to become an advocate for the cause in the coming years.
Were you a follower of Chaz’s rollercoaster career so far? Were you also looking forward to having him inside the Winnipeg Jets’ changing room? Tell us how you feel about his retirement in the comments!
The post Why is Winnipeg Jets’ Chaz Lucius Retiring From NHL at 21? appeared first on EssentiallySports.