Craig Weller

Craig Weller
Born	(1981-03-17) March 17, 1981 (age 44) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Phoenix Coyotes Minnesota Wild Florida Panthers Cardiff Devils Villacher SV ERC Ingolstadt
NHL draft	167th overall, 2000 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	2002–2013

Craig Weller (born March 17, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted 167th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Weller played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers during his career.

Playing career

Weller was born in Calgary, Alberta. As a youth, he played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Calgary Junior Flames minor ice hockey team. ^[1]

Weller was the St. Louis Blues 5th round choice, 167th overall, in the 2000 NHL Draft. After playing with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL and the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League, he was signed as a free agent by the Phoenix Coyotes on July 19, 2007. ^[2]

He scored his first career NHL goal on October 25, 2007, against the Anaheim Ducks; the goal turned out to be the game-winning goal. ^[3]

On July 1, 2008, Weller signed a two-year, $1.2 million contract with the Minnesota Wild. On October 18, 2009, he was traded to the Boston Bruins along with prospect Alexander Fallstrom and a second round draft pick in 2011 in exchange for Chuck Kobasew. ^[4]

On March 3, 2010, Weller was traded from the Bruins to the Florida Panthers along with Byron Bitz and a second round draft pick in exchange for Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski. ^[5]

On 1 November 2010, the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL in the UK announced they had signed Weller, who was a free agent at the time. He became the most experienced NHL player after Theoren Fleury to play in the Elite League, playing in his preferred position as a defenceman.^{[ citation needed ]}

With Weller on board, the Devils embarked on 22-game unbeaten streak, breaking the league and world records. However, the Devils narrowly missed out on the league title, finishing level on points with the Sheffield Steelers but having won 1 regulation game less, before being beaten in the Playoff final 5–4 to the Nottingham Panthers. After his first season in the UK Weller quickly established himself as a reliable, solid two way defenceman, drawing admiration from across the league, culminating in 3 awards - League Player of the Season (Journalist's Choice), Player of the Season (Voted by League GM's and Coaches) and Defenceman of the Season (Voted by League GM's and Coaches).^{[ citation needed ]}

Weller left the Devils to join Villacher SV of the Austrian Hockey League for a single season before venturing to Germany to accept a try-out with ERC Ingolstadt for the 2012–13 season. In establishing a position within Panther's lineup, Weller was signed for the remainder of the campaign on September 5, 2012. ^[6]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Calgary Flames AAA	AMHL		33	2	10	12	65		3	0	1	1	2
1998–99	Calgary Canucks	AJHL		49	4	14	18	80		13	0	1	1	10
1999–2000	Calgary Canucks	AJHL		53	3	14	17	100		4	0	0	0	4
2000–01	University of Minnesota Duluth	WCHA		6	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Kootenay Ice	WHL		30	1	5	6	40		11	0	2	2	26
2001–02	Kootenay Ice	WHL		69	5	13	18	127		22	3	7	10	27
2002–03	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		11	0	0	0	8		2	0	0	0	0
2002–03	Charlotte Checkers	ECHL		48	3	11	14	84		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		68	5	9	14	86		16	2	2	4	30
2004–05	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		76	10	9	19	182		6	0	1	1	6
2005–06	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		80	12	21	33	152		13	2	3	5	44
2006–07	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		56	11	6	17	96		4	0	0	0	4
2007–08	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		59	3	8	11	80		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Minnesota Wild	NHL		36	1	2	3	47		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Houston Aeros	AHL		5	0	1	1	7		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Providence Bruins	AHL		55	4	10	14	62		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Chicago Wolves	AHL		14	0	3	3	21		4	0	0	0	4
2010–11	Cardiff Devils	EIHL		41	16	36	52	52		4	2	0	2	6
2011–12	EC VSV	AUT		45	5	6	11	107		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	ERC Ingolstadt	DEL		34	0	1	1	36		4	0	1	1	27
2013–14	Bentley Generals	ChHL		8	2	5	7	0		5	2	1	3	6
AHL totals				365	42	60	102	614		45	4	6	10	88
NHL totals				95	4	10	14	127		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Award	Year
WHL
West Second All-Star Team	2002
EIHL
Defenseman of the season	2011
Player of the season	2011
League Player of the season	2011

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
2. "COYTOES SIGN CRAIG WELLER". NHL.com. July 19, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
3. "Auld blanks Ducks as Coyotes' end Anaheim losing streak". ESPN . October 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
4. "B's sign Fallstrom to entry-level contract". Boston Bruins. 2013-03-17. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
5. "Bruins trade Bitz, Weller for Seidenberg". ESPN. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
6. "Weller remains a Panther" (in German). ERC Ingolstadt. 2012-09-05. Archived from the original on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2012-09-05.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database