"Alexander is coming off of his best goal-scoring season to date and gives us an offensive-minded center down the middle," said Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. "He's still young and we think he has room to grow even further as he has taken large strides in each of his last few seasons. We like his combination of size and skill and think he will fit well with our group."
The 26-year-old totaled 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists) in 56 regular-season games with the Florida Panthers during the 2020-21 season, ranking seventh on the team in scoring. Despite the shortened season, Wennberg set career highs in goals (17) and tied his career high with three power-play goals. The Stockholm, Sweden native added one goal and one assist in five postseason games with the Panthers.
The six-foot-two, 192-pound forward has recorded 230 points (57 goals, 173 assists) in 471 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2016-17 to 2019-20) and Florida Panthers (2020-21), with his 173 career assists ranking ninth among all skaters from the 2013 draft class. Wennberg set a career high with 46 assists and 59 points during the 2016-17 season, ranking second on Columbus in scoring that year. In 28 career playoff games, Wennberg has totaled 10 points (five goals, five assists), including a career-high five points (three goals, two assist) during the Blue Jackets' 2019-20 run.
Prior to making his NHL debut, Wennberg spent the 2013-14 season with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League where he totaled 21 points (16 goals, five assists) in 50 games en route to being named a finalist for the league's top rookie award. He has represented Sweden in international competition five times: at the 2012 U-18 World Junior Championship, the 2013 and 2014 U-20 World Junior Championships and at the 2016 and 2019 World Championship, winning a silver medal in both 2013 and 2014.
He was originally drafted by Columbus in the first round (14th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
The Seattle Kraken will play their first game in 76 days on Oct. 12 at Las Vegas.
About Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are the National Hockey League's newest franchise, set to play their inaugural season in 2021-2022 at
Climate Pledge Arena
at Seattle Center, developed by
Oak View Group
. Visit
www.nhl.com/kraken
for the latest news and information including press releases, multimedia content and the latest hires.
