Alex Westlund

Last updated

Alex Westlund
Born (1975-12-28) December 28, 1975 (age 48)
Flemington, New Jersey, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for KHL Medveščak
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1999–2014
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2004 Czech Republic

Alex Westlund (born December 28, 1975) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who is now working as a coach. He currently is the goalie Coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL.

Contents

Playing career

Raised in Chatham, New Jersey, Westlund played prep hockey at Chatham High School, starting in goal as a freshman, and at the Lawrenceville School, earning him a spot in 2010 in the New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. [1]

He attended Yale University from 1995 to 1999, earning All-America Second Team honors. In his final year at Yale, Westlund won the William Neely Mallory Award, [2] "given to the senior man who on the field of play and in life at Yale best represents the highest ideals of American sportsmanship and Yale tradition", according to the Yale website. [3] He left Yale holding several all-time school records including wins, saves and games played. He was also presented with the Ken Dryden Award for the ECAC’s best goalie of the year.

Westlund began his professional career with the Dayton Bombers of the East Coast Hockey League during the 1999–2000 season. His career includes stints in the IHL, ECHL, AHL, in Russia, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Croatia and China. [4]

Westlund would also play for Team USA at the 2004 IIHF World Championship as the third goaltender, although he didn't have any ice time, his team would win bronze.

Coaching career

He has been working for Pro Crease Goaltending since January 2013. [5] [6] In July 2015, Westlund was named goalie coach of German side Augsburger Panther. [7] Prior to the 2016–17 season, he joined the staff of Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL as goalie coach. [8] On July 8, 2022 he was hired to be the goaltending coach for the Detroit Red Wings under new head coach Derek Lalonde. [9]

Awards and honours

AwardYear
All-ECAC First Team 1997–98 [10]
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1997–98
Ice Hockey World Championships Bronze Medal (USA) 2004 [11]
Austrian League Most Valuable Player2009–10 [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artūrs Irbe</span> Latvian ice hockey player and coach

Artūrs Irbe is a Latvian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Born during the Soviet era, Irbe played for various Soviet league teams and the Soviet Union national team before moving to North America in 1991. Irbe played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, and Carolina Hurricanes. In 2004 Irbe returned to Europe to play until he retired in 2007. He has served as a goaltending coach with Dinamo Riga, the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres, as well as internationally with the Latvia men's national ice hockey team. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2010. Irbe was rated number 93 on The Hockey News list of The Top 100 Goalies of All-Time in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goaltender</span> Person who tends the goal in ice hockey

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near the area in front of the net called the goal crease. Goaltenders tend to stay at or beyond the top of the crease to cut down on the angle of shots. In the modern age of goaltending there are two common styles, butterfly and hybrid. Because of the power of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment to protect the body from direct impact.

Zachary Bierk is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in 47 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, and Phoenix Coyotes between 1997 and 2004. He most recently was the goaltending coach with the Ottawa Senators, and is now a scout with the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evgeni Nabokov</span> Kazakhstani-Russian ice hockey player

Yevgeni Viktorovich Nabokov is a Kazakhstani-Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Tampa Bay Lightning of National Hockey League (NHL) and for Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, Dynamo Moscow, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA Saint Petersburg of the Russian Super League (RSL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) from 1991 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Barrasso</span> American ice hockey player (born 1965)

Thomas Patrick Barrasso is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 18 seasons. Barrasso began his time in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him fifth overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft out of high school. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988, where he would best be remembered and spend the majority of his career. Barrasso spent parts of 12 seasons with the Penguins, and was a Stanley Cup champion in 1991 and 1992. After being traded to the Ottawa Senators in March 2000 and sitting out the 2000–01 season, his final two seasons were split playing for the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues. Barrasso was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Cloutier</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1976)

Daniel Cloutier is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. In his 10-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, Cloutier played with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, spending the majority of his career in Vancouver. He employed a combination of both butterfly and stand-up goaltending and was known for wearing the uncommon birdcage style helmet.

Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1965 and 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Dunham</span> American ice hockey player (born 1972)

Michael Francis Dunham is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Dunham is the Boston Bruins goalie development coach, and the former head goaltending coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Jeffrey K. Reese is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers, Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils. He has been the Dallas Stars' goaltending coach since 2015 and was the goaltending coach for the Lightning from 2001 to 2009 and for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2009 to March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Bedard (ice hockey, born 1956)</span> Canadian ice hockey player

James Arthur Bédard is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 73 games in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1976 to 1994, was spent in the minor leagues and then mainly in I-Divisioona, the second level of hockey in Finland. After his playing career Bédard worked in coaching, serving as the goaltending coach for the Detroit Red Wings from 1996 to 2016 and winning the Stanley Cup three times with the team.

Pēteris "Peter" Skudra is a Latvian former professional ice hockey goaltender and head coach. During a playing career that lasted from 1994 to 2007 he played for several teams in Latvia, Russia and North America. After starting his career in Latvia, Skudra moved to the North American minor leagues in 1994. He signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1997 and made his debut that year. Over the next six seasons, Skudra played for the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and Vancouver Canucks. In 2003, he moved to Russia, playing the last four seasons of his career. Playing in the NHL primarily as a back-up goalie, Skudra appeared in 146 games during his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Eklund</span> American ice hockey player

Brian M. Eklund is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in one National Hockey League (NHL) game with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2005–06 season. He currently runs his own goalie school, Massachusetts Crease Goaltending School, as well as being an assistant and goalie coach for the Brown Bears men's ice hockey team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Letang</span> Canadian-Croatian ice hockey player

Alan Letang is a Canadian-Croatian former professional ice hockey player. In 2021, he was named the head coach for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Muzzatti</span> Canadian-Italian ice hockey player

Jason Mark Muzzatti is a Canadian-Italian former professional ice hockey goaltender, and the current goaltending coach for the Carolina Hurricanes. He played 62 games in the National Hockey League between 1993 and 1998 for four teams. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1991 to 2007, was spent in various minor leagues and in Europe. Internationally Muzzatti played briefly for the Canadian national team in the early 1990s, and later in his career played for the Italian national team at several World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Murray (ice hockey)</span> Ice hockey player

Andrew Murray is a Canadian-Croatian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He ended his professional career playing two seasons for KHL Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Taylor (ice hockey)</span> Canadian-Belarusian ice hockey goaltender

Daniel Taylor is a Canadian-Belarusian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings and has appeared in four NHL games with the Kings, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHL Medveščak Zagreb</span> Croatian ice hockey team

KHL Medveščak Admiral, also known as KHL Medveščak Zagreb, is a Croatian professional ice hockey team based in Zagreb, established in 1961. The team's name derives from the location of its original arena in the Medveščak area in central Zagreb, with KHL the abbreviation of the Croatian words for ice hockey club. It is by far the most successful and popular ice hockey team in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Peters</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1986)

Justin Peters is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was selected in the second round, 38th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the goaltending coach for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.

Mark Adam Dekanich is a Croatian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Lyon (ice hockey)</span> American ice hockey player (born 1992)

Alexander Augustus Lyon is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played collegiately for the Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey team, competing in the ECAC.

References

  1. ↑ Alex Westlund Class of 2010, New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Westlund posted a 2.70 goals against average in his high school career and went on to have a solid collegiate career at Yale. As a high school freshman he made his mark at Chatham as the team went 14-8-3. In 1991-92 he led Lawrenceville to an 18-6 mark, a year in which the Mercer County school had no Post-Graduates on its roster."
  2. ↑ "William Neely Mallory Award". Yale University. February 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Elliott and Mallory Awards: Varsity Sports". Yale University. May 31, 1999. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Alex Westlund". eliteprospects.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Alex Westlund". linkedin.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ "About Pro Crease". Pro Crease. March 30, 2010. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Zwei neue Trainer für die Augsburger Panther". Augsburger Allgemeine. July 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Cameron embarks on KHL coaching career with Dwyer, HC Medvescak - Hockey - The Guardian". www.theguardian.pe.ca. Retrieved October 2, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Red Wings add Bob Boughner and Alex Westlund to coaching staff". NHL.com. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Athlete of the Week: Alex Westlund | Jan 15, 1999". Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ Urbanc, Marin. "IHC Medveščak Mladi //". KHL Medveščak Mladi. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Westlund wertvollster Spieler der Saison". oe24.at. March 30, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
Awards
Preceded by Ken Dryden Award
1997–98 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.