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Alexander Wennberg

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Alexander Wennberg
Wennberg with the Seattle Kraken in 2023
Born (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30)
Nacka, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 San Jose Sharks
Djurgårdens IF
Frölunda HC
Columbus Blue Jackets
Florida Panthers
Seattle Kraken
New York Rangers
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 14th overall, 2013
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2011–present

Alexander Wennberg (born 22 September 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, and New York Rangers. 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 (SHL).

Playing career

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Amateur

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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] Upon joining the Blue Jackets, Wennberg was given the jersey number 41 which he switched in his second season.[3]

Professional

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Columbus Blue Jackets

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Wennberg with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014.

Wennberg made his NHL debut on 9 October 2014, against the Buffalo Sabres, where he also recorded his first NHL point.[4] He was reassigned 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.[4] However, he was recalled to Columbus the next day after the team placed Matt Calvert on injured reserve.[5] Wennberg scored his first career NHL goal on 22 December in a 5–1 loss to the Nashville Predators.[6]

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.[7] After returning, Wennberg was again injured in early November and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] Wennberg played two more games in the series but the Blue Jackets failed to advance.

Florida Panthers

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On 8 October 2020, Wennberg was placed on waivers for the purpose of buying out the remaining three years on his contract.[12] On the opening day of free agency, Wennberg was signed by the Florida Panthers to a one-year, $2.25 million contract on 9 October. He was signed by newly-installed general manager Bill Zito, who was formerly a part of the Blue Jackets organization.[13] In a fresh start with the Panthers, in which the pandemic delayed and shortened the 2020–21 season, Wennberg responded with a career high 17 goals in 56 games, and added 12 assists while relied upon to provide responsible two-way play.[citation needed]

Seattle Kraken

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Wennberg with the Kraken in 2022.

As a free agent from the Panthers, Wennberg was targeted and signed to a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the expansion club, the Seattle Kraken, on 28 July 2021.[14]

New York Rangers

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On 6 March 2024, the Kraken traded Wennberg to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2024 second-round and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft picks.[15]

San Jose Sharks

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In the 2024 offseason, Wennberg left the Rangers as a free agent and signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.[16]

Personal life

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Wennberg and his partner, Felicia Weeren, became parents in September 2021 when she gave birth to their son, Rio, whose name was inspired in large part by a character in the television series Money Heist.[17] He and Felicia grew up near each other in Sweden but did not meet until after he reached the NHL and she had completed her studies in the United Kingdom. Together, they support causes for LGBTQIA+ youth.[18]

In July 2023, Wennberg became popular among TikTok's BookTok subcommunity "for his chiseled Nordic good looks."[19] The Kraken began producing and releasing their own TikTok videos which were marketed to BookTok users and intended to capitalize on his good looks. Wennberg's partner, Felicia, described the attention as objectifying and having "crossed the line of what it means to fancy someone" into the realm of being "predatory and exploiting." When her comments received backlash, Wennberg took to social media to echo the sentiment, writing "aggressive language about real life players is too much" and asking for "a little respect." The Kraken deleted all references to BookTok from their social media accounts shortly thereafter.[20]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Djurgårdens IF J18 22 8 12 20 2 — — — — —
2010–11 Djurgårdens IF J18 Allsv 18 3 11 14 4 5 1 2 3 2
2011–12 Djurgårdens IF J18 4 3 1 4 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Djurgårdens IF J18 Allsv 6 1 1 2 4 2 0 1 1 0
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 10 3 2 5 2
2020–21 Florida Panthers NHL 56 17 12 29 8 6 1 1 2 0
2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL 80 11 26 37 28 — — — — —
2022–23 Seattle Kraken NHL 82 13 25 38 20 14 2 5 7 2
2023–24 Seattle Kraken NHL 60 9 16 25 14 — — — — —
2023–24 New York Rangers NHL 19 1 4 5 0 16 1 1 2 4
NHL totals 712 91 244 335 155 58 8 11 19 10

International

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Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Sweden
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2014 Malmö
Silver medal – second place 2013 Ufa
World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Brno
Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2012 Sweden WJC18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 3 6 9 0
2013 Sweden WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 2 1 3 0
2014 Sweden WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 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

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  1. ^ "Hockey's Future – History". Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ Lukan, Alison (22 January 2019). "From 3 to 91: Blue Jackets sweater numbers equal interesting stories". The Athletic. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Alexander Wennberg reassigned to Springfield Falcons by Columbus Blue Jackets". masslive.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Columbus Blue Jackets recall Alexander Wennberg from Springfield Falcons after injury to Matt Calvert". masslive.com. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  6. ^ Mixer, Rob (22 December 2014). "Post Game: Predators 5, Blue Jackets 1". NHL.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Blue Jackets activate center Alexander Wennberg off injured reserve". NHL.com. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Wennberg out two weeks with foot injury". foxsports.com. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Jackets sign Wennberg to six-year contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  10. ^ Sachdeva, Sonny (12 April 2018). "Blue Jackets' Wennberg knocked out of Game 1 after hit from Wilson". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Tom Wilson says his hit on Alexander Wennberg 'cost us the game'". sportsnet.ca. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Blue Jackets waiver veteran Alexander Wennberg". The Sports Network. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Panthers agree to terms with Alexander Wennberg". Florida Panthers. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Change Agent". Seattle Kraken. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Rangers Acquire Alex Wennberg". NHL.com. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Sharks sign forward Alexander Wennberg". NHL.com. San Jose Sharks. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  17. ^ Baker, Geoff (8 October 2021). "Training-camp debut was worth the wait for Kraken center and new dad Alex Wennberg". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  18. ^ Lukan, Alison (22 March 2023). "Uncharted: Waterfalls with Wenny". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  19. ^ Dickson, EJ (1 August 2023). "Romance Novel Fans Are Under Fire for Being Too Horny for Hockey Players". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  20. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (1 August 2023). "Kraken remove BookTok content after pushback". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander Wennberg.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Columbus Blue Jackets first round draft pick
2013 		Succeeded by
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