In his 12th\u00a0NHL season and his fifth team,\u00a0Alex Wennberg\u00a0has found his ideal home: San Jose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old\u00a0center signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension<\/a> through the 2028-29 season.\u00a0He was set to become a free agent at the end of this season\u00a0and was a potential trade candidate at the deadline, but general manager Mike Grier and Wennberg decided to make the mutual commitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wennberg, speaking with NBC Sports California\u2019s Alan Hoshida, said it was the \u201cperfect fit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the get-go, I really loved it…\u201d Wennberg\u00a0said\u00a0about his tenure with the Sharks. \u201c…Even after the first year, I asked them about an extension right there because I could see myself play for years here ahead.\u00a0My mindset was also set to come back, and obviously\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0the business side of it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was\u00a0kind of wait-and-see, but I\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0be more thrilled, it felt like it really worked out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wennberg noted that his wife and children also enjoyed\u00a0their\u00a0relatively new\u00a0living\u00a0situation.\u00a0He played for three total teams in the\u00a0previous\u00a0two seasons, the Seattle Kraken and New York Rangers in\u00a0the\u00a02023-24\u00a0season\u00a0before signing with\u00a0the Sharks\u00a0for the 2024-25 season.\u00a0Family stability is a luxury for professional\u00a0athletes\u00a0and Wennberg took advantage of the opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n He enjoys the\u00a0stability\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0found with some youngsters<\/a>\u00a0outside of his family as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI obviously have a little bit of experience \u2013 played in the league for quite\u00a0some\u00a0years,\u201d Wennberg noted. \u201cAnd the young team we have, and talking to [Macklin Celebrini] and [Will Smith], but right now\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0more young players on the way… so for me to have that kind of role to help them out. If\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0advice, just to be a good teammate, I feel like\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0a great way\u00a0to start for me as well and have that kind of a role.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0an ideal setup for a rebuild \u2013 having a lot of young players with high potential paired with experienced players who have been there and done that.\u00a0But being the elder\u00a0statesman\u00a0is not all that Wennberg wants to provide.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I say this a ton, but I still feel like I\u2019m young and feel like my hockey is far from over,\u201d Wennberg explained. \u201cSo not only on the outside of the rink, but in the games and stuff I can make a difference. So\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0why I feel like it was just the perfect fit for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wennberg contributed\u00a0immediately\u00a0and notched 35 points\u00a0last season, the fifth-most\u00a0among Sharks players who finished the year on the roster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This season, he already has matched that point total\u00a0in 26 fewer games.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like obviously with age you can get a little slower and all of that,\u00a0but,\u00a0I feel like if you ask me, hockey-wise, I feel like my game is just growing,\u201d Wennberg explained. \u201cI got a ton of responsibilities on the ice from [penalty kill] to power play and all of that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut the trust from the coaches and the role they have set up for me — I\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0be more\u00a0thrilled\u00a0and I want to do\u00a0a great job.\u00a0For me, coming in every day I have a mission to be better. And to have these young guys too, making a push and be\u00a0better and better\u00a0as well, it just makes me raise my game as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sharks had plenty of center depth\u00a0when Wennberg\u00a0initially\u00a0signed\u00a0a two-year, $10 million contract<\/a>\u00a0with the team\u00a0ahead of the 2024-25 season.\u00a0But when San Jose traded current Anaheim Ducks center\u00a0Mikael Granlund<\/a>\u00a0to the Dallas Stars one year ago, that opened the door for Wennberg.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like that role kind of opened up for me to take on more responsibility and kind of grow into that as well,\u201d Wennberg said.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Jose\u2019s massive turnaround from last season is headlined by the young stardom of Celebrini\u00a0and Smith.\u00a0But\u00a0the emergence of veteran contribution like that of Wennberg\u2019s has provided\u00a0fuel\u00a0for the playoff push.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of things have happened, and I still feel like we have a little bit more to go,\u201d Wennberg explained. \u201cBut you see\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a process right now.\u00a0If you want to push for playoffs and all of that, but not only that — just the way that we are playing, the team is growing with one another; that is what I enjoy the most.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou see how many steps you can take in one year, and next year can be even better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n