ECHL Official Website

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club, ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced today that forward Jack Quinlivan has announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Quinlivan, 28, originally signed with the Railers as a freshman out of the University of Maine for the 2022-23 season. He played 10 games his freshman year before being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in December 2022. After missing the remainder of the 2022-23 season to undergo treatment for his cancer, he received an invitation to the Railers’ 2023-24 training camp and earned a roster spot. He returned to the Railers’ lineup for the first time in 11 months on Nov. 10, 2023, in St. John’s, N.L., against the Newfoundland Growlers. Quinlivan recorded an assist in his first game played at DCU Center since returning on Nov. 17, 2023, against the Cincinnati Cyclones. He was named an assistant captain of the Railers on March 1, 2023.

“I feel like I’m in a good position where I can end my career the way I want,” Quinlivan said. “I’m grateful to the Worcester Railers for the opportunity to play professional hockey, especially in my own hometown. I went through what I went through with my cancer treatments and they gave me another chance with the support of all my teammates and the organization. Those are two years that I will always cherish.”

“To watch those IceCats and Sharks games just ten minutes from home and then finally come back from Maine and play here was such a great feeling. That’s what made me feel comfortable on the ice because I was representing something I was so proud to represent, which was the Worcester community.”

In 42 games with Worcester, Quinlivan recorded 15 points (8g-7a) and 26 penalty minutes. He scored the game-winning goal in the seventh round of a 4-3 shootout victory over the Fort Wayne Komets on Jan. 20, 2024, and the game-winning goal with 4:36 left in regulation in a 6-4 win over the Trois-Rivières Lions on Feb. 3, 2024.

“He did the game of hockey justice by always playing the right way,” said head coach Bob Deraney. “He was a credit to the Railers organization and an inspiration to his teammates. We can never thank Jack enough for everything he did for this team.”

Prior to becoming a professional hockey player, Quinlivan played 123 games over five seasons of college hockey for the University of Maine Black Bears of Hockey East, where he was named captain for two seasons and an alternate for one season. He played one season for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the USPHL Premier, and was a standout at Shrewsbury High School, where he scored 39 points (14g-25a) in 22 games his senior year.

“We want to thank Jack for everything he brought to the organization every day,” said Railers Chief Operating Officer Michael G. Myers. “There’s no replacing someone like Jack who embodies what it means to be a Railer, both as a player and as a person. He will always be a part of our Railers family, and we look forward to seeing what the next chapter of his life holds.”