Alexander Wennberg (born 22 September 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain 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 Järnkrok entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocols.
New York Rangers On 6 March 2024, two days before the trade deadline, the Kraken traded Wennberg to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2024 second-round and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick. He made his debut with the Rangers on 9 March, recording one assist.
San Jose Sharks In the 2024 off-season, Wennberg left the Rangers as a free agent and signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.
On 8 October 2025, Wennberg was named an alternate captain for road games for the 2025–26 season. In January 2026, he signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension. On 27 March, he was named the Sharks' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded for leadership on and off the ice and humanitarian contributions to the community.
Wennberg finished the 2025–26 season with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 80 games, his most offensively productive season since 2016–17 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He set career highs in goals, power play goals, and average ice time (20:27).
On 30 September 2026, Wennberg was once again named an alternate captain for the 2026–27 season, this time for home games.
International play Wennberg made his debut with the Sweden senior team at the 2016 World Championship, recording eight points (one goal, seven assists) in eight games. He returned to the team in the 2019 World Championship, recording ten points (three goals, seven assists) in six games. At the 2025 World Championship, he recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in ten games, and Sweden won the bronze medal.
Wennberg was named to Sweden's for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Sweden lost to the United States in the quarterfinals.
Personal life Wennberg and his wife were married in summer 2022. They 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. The couple has three children – one son and two daughters. Wennberg and his wife support causes for LGBTQIA+ youth and the Special Olympics. In October 2025, during the federal government shutdown as SNAP benefits were expected to lose funding, Wennberg and his wife donated 50,000 meals to Feeding America and Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley.
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 wife described the attention and the comments by fans 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 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 2024–25 San Jose Sharks NHL 77 10 25 35 14 — — — — — 2025–26 San Jose Sharks NHL 80 18 37 55 18 — — — — —NHL totals 869 119 306 425 187 58 8 11 19 10
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 2025 Sweden WC 10 1 3 4 2 2026 Sweden OG 7th 5 0 0 0 0Junior totals 19 8 11 19 2Senior totals 29 5 17 22 6
References
External links
Alexander Wennberg at Milano Cortina 2026