Alexander Wennberg
Alexander Wennberg (born 22 September 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the first round, 14th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL, Wennberg played professionally in the Swedish Hockey League.
Alexander Wennberg | |||
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Wennberg with the Blue Jackets in 2014 | |||
Born |
Nacka, Sweden | 22 September 1994||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
NHL team Former teams |
Columbus Blue Jackets Djurgårdens IF Frölunda HC | ||
National team |
| ||
NHL Draft |
14th overall, 2013 Columbus Blue Jackets | ||
Playing career | 2011–present |
Playing career
For the 2010–11 season, Wennberg joined the Djurgårdens IF under-18 team, scoring 11 goals and 23 assists. The next year, he moved up to the organization's under-20 team and also represented Sweden at the 2011 U19 World Junior A Challenge and 2012 U18 World Junior Championship tournaments. He also spent time with Djurgårdens IF's Elitserien senior team but did not appear in any games.[1]
Wennberg was ranked fifth out of all 2013 NHL Entry Draft eligible European skaters and was ultimately selected 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In May 2014, he signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Blue Jackets.[2]
Wennberg made his NHL debut on 9 October 2014 against the Buffalo Sabres, where he also recorded his first NHL point.[3] He was re-assigned to Columbus' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, after playing in seven NHL games, as defenceman Ryan Murray was activated off injured reserve.[3] However, he was recalled to Columbus the next day after the team placed Matt Calvert on injured reserve.[4] Wennberg scored his first career NHL goal on 22 December in a 5–1 loss to the Nashville Predators.[5]
Wennberg missed the first five games of the 2015–16 season to recover from a concussion he suffered during the Blue Jackets' season opener against the New York Rangers.[6] After returning, Wennberg was again injured in early November and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.[7]
The following season, Wennberg played in 80 regular season games and recorded career-highs in goals (13) and assists (46). On 1 September 2017, he signed a new six-year, $29.4 million contract with the Blue Jackets carrying an annual salary cap hit of $4.9 million.[8]
During the first game of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Wennberg was injured by a check from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson and was removed from the game.[9] Due to this, the Blue Jackets earned a power play which Columbus scored on to tie the game. The Blue Jackets went on to win the game in overtime.[10] Wennberg played two more games in the series but the Blue Jackets failed to advance.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2011–12 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 42 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2011–12 | Djurgårdens IF | SHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2012–13 | Djurgårdens IF | Allsv | 46 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
2013–14 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 50 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2014–15 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 68 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 69 | 8 | 32 | 40 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 80 | 13 | 46 | 59 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
2017–18 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 66 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
2018–19 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 75 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2019–20 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 57 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 16 | |||||||
NHL totals | 415 | 40 | 161 | 201 | 85 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Medal record | ||
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Ice hockey | ||
Representing | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
2014 Malmö | ||
2013 Ufa | ||
World U18 Championships | ||
2012 Brno |
International
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Sweden | WJC18 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | ||
2013 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
2014 | Sweden | WJC | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||
2016 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
2019 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 19 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 2 | ||||
Senior totals | 14 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 4 |
References
- "Hockey's Future – History". Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- "BLUE JACKETS SIGN 19-YEAR-OLD SWEDISH CENTRE ALEXANDER WENNBERG TO 3-YEAR, ENTRY-LEVEL DEAL". thehockeynews.com. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Alexander Wennberg reassigned to Springfield Falcons by Columbus Blue Jackets". masslive.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Columbus Blue Jackets recall Alexander Wennberg from Springfield Falcons after injury to Matt Calvert". masslive.com. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- Mixer, Rob (22 December 2014). "Post Game: Predators 5, Blue Jackets 1". NHL.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Blue Jackets activate center Alexander Wennberg off injured reserve". NHL.com. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Wennberg out two weeks with foot injury". foxsports.com. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Jackets sign Wennberg to six-year contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- Sachdeva, Sonny (12 April 2018). "Blue Jackets' Wennberg knocked out of Game 1 after hit from Wilson". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Tom Wilson says his hit on Alexander Wennberg 'cost us the game'". sportsnet.ca. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Ryan Murray |
Columbus Blue Jackets first round draft pick 2013 |
Succeeded by Kerby Rychel |