The Story Behind Wennberg’s Unique White Stick

Blink and you’ll miss it, or rather, can’t take your eyes off it.

At times, it appears Alex Wennberg is hitting the ice without a stick in hand, while at other times, it’s almost blindingly apparent that he is clasping a twig that is unlike any of his Rangers teammates or opponents. The culprit? His unique all-white stick.

“Obviously, it’s different,” Wennberg said with a smile. “People kind of raise their eyebrows for it. Everyone is worrying about me not having a stick.”

Upon arriving from Seattle on March 6, Wennberg has made quite the splash in New York – white stick in hand – after being acquired two days prior to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.

After making his Blueshirts debut on March 9, the Swedish winger has flexed his versatility. Wennberg has made an impact on the Rangers’ lineup, strengthening the team’s depth down the middle while centering the third line, mostly between Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. He’s been deployed on both the power play and penalty kill, and through seven contests with the Rangers, he’s compiled four points (1G, 3A) and a plus-one rating.

The product that Wennberg proudly clasps certainly stands out, especially when contrasted against the Rangers’ home combination of blue jerseys and red pants. The glossy pearl stick features subtle chrome-colored details and is polished with a complementary white tape job. And during scrums for loose pucks that take place around the netfront – where Wennberg frequents – the white contrivance vividly beams in contrast to its muted charcoal-shaded counterparts.

“There’s no bigger secret than I just really like the look and feel,” Wennberg said. “I like solid colors. If I have a black stick, I go with black tape. If I have a white stick, I go with white tape. I really like the look of white tape, so I’ve been leaning towards that. At the end of the day, there’s been a little bit more success for me having the white stick, so I always tend to go back to it.”

While the white twig is new to the New York scene, it’s been a staple of Wennberg’s toolkit since his childhood. During his early hockey days back in Sweden, he was drawn to the white stick and used it for various stints. Over the course of his career, he began to use the white stick more regularly with a previous CCM model. But eventually he reached a dilemma when that particular stick was no longer available.

“They discontinued that one, or maybe it was just discontinued for me,” Wennberg said with a laugh. “Because all of a sudden, I saw two other guys [including Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev] still having it. I ended up going to Warrior and tried their stick for a bit. Then, I’ve been jumping around. But Bauer just came out and they made this stick for a junior guy this year and they asked me if I wanted to try it out. And I said, ‘Yeah why not?’”

Since last November, Wennberg has consistently been utilizing the all-white Bauer Proto R stick.

The stick, constructed from boron fiber, was named the lightest mid-kick stick of the company’s line and has been coined as the “most deceptive stick in the game,” as stated by Bauer. According to Gear Geek, 53 total NHLers are currently using this particular stick this season, but Wennberg elected to customize his stick to the all-white version. He believes the unique color choice could add another layer of deception to his game due to the stick’s ability to blend in with the ice.

After netting his first goal as a Ranger (10th goal of the 2023-24 campaign) on Tuesday night, the illustrious blanc stick has been serving him well.

“Usually, when you’re switching up gear and sticks, that’s when you’re struggling a little bit,” Wennberg said. “Right now, I hope to stick with this one for a bit. So far, it’s been pretty good.”

And while the white stick has certainly – and repeatedly – generated some commotion, Wennberg welcomes the commentary and curiosity from fans, teammates, commentators and even opponents.

“It’s everything that people think would have a nice feel to it, so they’re curious about that,” Wennberg said. “The most common comment I got was when someone I played against said he couldn’t see the stick when I was shooting. I guess if that's true, it’s like an added disguise for me out there, so I try to use it to my advantage.

“It’s all funny to hear, but at the end of the day it’s working for me, so I’ll keep it.”