Dan Sexton

Playing career

Dan Sexton began his college hockey career at Bowling Green State University, where he suited up for 76 games between 2007 and 2009, notching 24 goals and 60 points. Going undrafted, he left school early to sign with the Anaheim Ducks on April 7, 2009. He started the 2009-10 season in the ECHL with the Bakersfield Condors before earning a call-up to the Ducks, making his NHL debut on December 4, 2009, against the Minnesota Wild. Just a few days later, in his third NHL game on December 8, 2009, he scored his first two NHL goals during a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars at the Honda Center. After re-signing with Anaheim on a two-year, two-way deal on July 11, 2011, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 11, 2013, in exchange for Kyle Wilson.

Moving overseas as a free agent, Sexton initially joined HC TPS of the Finnish Liiga but left mid-season to spend the next five years in the KHL with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. During the 2017-18 season, he led Neftekhimik in scoring and finished seventh in the league with 47 points in 52 games. He then signed with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on May 2, 2018, playing three seasons there before returning to Neftekhimik as a free agent on a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season. In that second stint, he recorded 7 goals and 24 points in 46 games. He initially took part in the postseason, even as many foreign players and two non-Russian KHL teams (Dinamo Riga and Jokerit Helsinki) left due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, but he departed the club after just two playoff games on March 4, 2022.

On July 27, 2022, Sexton signed an optional two-year contract with the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League. Playing in a top-nine forward role during the 2022-23 season, he contributed a veteran presence and collected 24 points in the regular season. He added 8 points in 13 playoff games, helping Växjö capture their fourth Le Mat Trophy. Following that championship, he announced his retirement from professional hockey on May 18, 2023.