Alexander Wennberg

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

Amateur

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.

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

Professional

Columbus Blue Jackets

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

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

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.

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. 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. Wennberg played two more games in the series but the Blue Jackets failed to advance.

Florida Panthers

On 8 October 2020, Wennberg was placed on waivers for the purpose of buying out the remaining three years on his contract. 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. 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.

Seattle Kraken

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. During training camp, Wennberg was placed on a line with fellow Swedes Calle Järnkrok and Marcus Johansson. Due to their shared lineage, the trio's line was quickly named the Swedish House Mafia. After missing the start of the preseason due to the birth of his first child, Wennberg made his Kraken preseason debut with the Swedish line on 1 October against the Edmonton Oilers. However, the line was broken up in the final preseason game after Jarnkrok entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocols.

New York Rangers

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.

San Jose Sharks

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.

Personal life

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''. 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.

In July 2023, Wennberg became popular among TikTok's BookTok subcommunity "for his chiseled Nordic good looks." 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wennberg, Alexander
1994 births
Living people
Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Djurgårdens IF (men's hockey) players
Florida Panthers players
Frölunda HC players
Ice hockey people from Stockholm County
NHL first-round draft picks
New York Rangers players
Sportspeople from Nacka Municipality
San Jose Sharks players
Seattle Kraken players
Springfield Falcons players
Swedish ice hockey centres