Blake Wheeler

Blake James Wheeler (born August 31, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey player and captain of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Wheeler was born in Plymouth, Minnesota, but grew up in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. After failing to come to terms on a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, he signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent.

Blake Wheeler
Wheeler with the Winnipeg Jets in 2014
Born	August 31, 1986 Plymouth, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Winnipeg Jets Boston Bruins Atlanta Thrashers EHC München
National team	United States
NHL Draft	5th overall, 2004 Phoenix Coyotes
Playing career	2008–present

Playing career

Amateur

Wheeler played with the University of Minnesota for his NCAA career.

Wheeler attended Breck School his freshman year through his junior year. There, during his junior year, Wheeler had his breakout season, putting up a state-high 45 goals and 55 assists in 2003–04. He led his team to a Class A State Hockey Championship that season, and scored a hat trick in the final game.

Wheeler opted to play his senior year in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Green Bay Gamblers. After playing one season with the Gamblers, Wheeler attended the University of Minnesota. In 2005–06, his freshman year with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, he recorded 23 points in 39 games, playing alongside future Boston Bruins teammate Phil Kessel.

In the 2007 WCHA Final Five tournament, Wheeler recorded a hat trick in a 4–2 win in the semifinal game against the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1] In the championship game, Wheeler scored the game-winning goal in a 3–2 overtime win against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.[2] The play was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter and quickly gained notoriety for its similarity to the game-winning goal in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, scored by Minnesota's Neal Broten, also against North Dakota.[3] Wheeler was named the tournament MVP.[4]

Early in the 2007–08 season, following injuries to Ryan Stoa and Mike Howe, Wheeler was named an alternate captain for the Golden Gophers and recorded 35 points in 44 games. At the end of the season, four years after he was drafted, Wheeler had yet to come to a contract agreement with the Coyotes. Given the option, Wheeler elected to become an unrestricted free agent despite a maximum entry-level contract offer from the club.[5]

Wheeler practicing with the Boston Bruins in November 2008. Wheeler signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins months earlier.

Boston Bruins (2008–2011)

After the Phoenix Coyotes were not able to come to terms with Wheeler, on July 1, 2008, Wheeler signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins.[6] The Coyotes received a compensatory second-round pick as a result of his signing elsewhere. On October 7, the Bruins made their final cuts for the 2008–09 season and Wheeler remained with the NHL club. Two days later, on October 9, Wheeler scored his first NHL goal, in his NHL debut, against goaltender Peter Budaj of the Colorado Avalanche.[7] Wheeler then collected his first NHL hat trick the next month on November 6, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[8]

Being named to the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game to represent the rookies, he earned Game MVP honors after a four-goal effort to beat the sophomores 9–5.[9] After being hit by a puck in practice during the 2009 pre-season, Blake added a visor to his helmet.[10]

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets (2011–present)

Wheeler with the Jets in November 2013

On February 18, 2011, Wheeler, along with Mark Stuart, was traded by Boston to the Atlanta Thrashers for Boris Valábik and Rich Peverley. On July 18, 2011, Wheeler signed a two-year, $5.1 million deal after the Thrashers were relocated and renamed the Winnipeg Jets. In the inaugural 2011–12 season with the Jets, he led the team in scoring with a career-high 64 points in 80 games. With the 2012–13 season delayed due to the NHL lockout and in order to keep game shape, Wheeler signed in Europe with EHC München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany on October 28, 2012.[11]

In July 2013, Wheeler avoided arbitration by signing a contract for six years, $33.6 million, which carried an annual cap hit of $5.6 million per season. He became the third-highest paid Jets player behind defensemen Tobias Enström and Dustin Byfuglien, and he was signed through to the 2018–19 season.[12] On August 31, 2016, Wheeler was named the new team captain of the Jets.[13] Wheeler was named to his first NHL All-Star game on January 10, 2018, for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game,[14] finished the regular season with a career best 91 points and lead the league in assists with 68, tied with Claude Giroux. On April 24, 2018, Wheeler was named a finalist for the Mark Messier Leadership Award.[15]

On September 4, 2018, Wheeler signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension with the Jets.[16]

Wheeler's long-standing questionable character came under fire once again in January 2021 following the trade of Jets teammate Patrik Laine. International reports cited [17] magalomanaiacal behavior on the part of Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, with the two being accused of sabotaging Laine's progression on the Jets' depth chart and bullying the young star out of Winnipeg.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2002–03	Breck School	HS-MN		26	15	27	42	—		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Breck School	HS-MN		27	39	50	89	34		3	6	5	11	0
2004–05	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL		58	19	28	47	43		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	University of Minnesota	WCHA		39	9	14	23	41		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	University of Minnesota	WCHA		44	18	20	38	42		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	University of Minnesota	WCHA		44	15	20	35	72		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Boston Bruins	NHL		81	21	24	45	46		8	0	0	0	0
2009–10	Boston Bruins	NHL		82	18	20	38	53		13	1	5	6	6
2010–11	Boston Bruins	NHL		58	11	16	27	32		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		23	7	10	17	14		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		80	17	47	64	55		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	EHC München	DEL		15	6	14	20	51		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		48	19	22	41	28		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		82	28	41	69	63		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		79	26	35	61	73		4	1	0	1	2
2015–16	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		82	26	52	78	49		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		82	26	48	74	47		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		81	23	68	91	52		17	3	18	21	10
2018–19	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		82	20	71	91	60		6	1	4	5	6
2019–20	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		71	22	43	65	37		4	0	1	1	5
NHL totals				931	264	497	761	609		52	6	28	34	29

International

Wheeler (left) with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and John Carlson in a ceremony for American-bound Olympians to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Both Carlson and Wheeler were members of Team USA in 2014.

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006	United States	WJC	4th		7	2	0	2	6
2011	United States	WC	8th		7	2	3	5	6
2014	United States	OG	4th		6	0	1	1	2
2016	United States	WCH	7th		3	0	1	1	0
Junior totals					7	2	0	2	6
Senior totals					16	2	5	7	8

Awards and honors

Award	Year
WCHA All-Tournament Team	2007	[18]
All-WCHA Third Team	2007–08
NHL YoungStars Game	2009
NHL YoungStars MVP	2009
NHL All-Star	2018, 2019	[14]
NHL Second All-Star Team	2018

References

1. "WCHA Final Five: Gophers Win, Wheeler Hat Trick". WCCO-TV. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
2. "Wheeler's 2007 Final Five game winning goal". YouTube. April 5, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
3. "Blake Wheeler Goal Makes ESPN's Top 10 Plays". GopherSports.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
4. "Gophers Defeat N.D. In OT, 3-2". WCCO-TV. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
5. "Former Coyotes draft pick Blake Wheeler elects for free agency". NHL.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
6. "Boston Bruins Sign Forward Blake Wheeler". NHL.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
7. "Game Boxscore: Boston @ Colorado - 10/09/2008". NHL.com. October 9, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
8. "Game Boxscore: Toronto @ Boston - 11/06/2008". NHL.com. November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
9. "Bruins' Blake Wheeler MVP of YoungStars Game". Boston Globe. January 25, 2009. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
10. Shinzawa, Fluto (September 29, 2009). "They could be fully loaded". The Boston Globe.
11. "Red Bull commit to NHL star Blake Wheeler" (in German). EHC München. October 28, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
12. "Blake Wheeler signs 6-year $33.6MM deal to remain with the Winnipeg Jets". articicehockey.com. July 26, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
13. Campbell, Tim (November 19, 2017). "Wheeler makes impact as Jets captain". NHL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
14. "Pair of Jets named to 2018 NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Winnipeg Jets. January 10, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
15. "Wheeler named finalist for Messier Award". NHL.com. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
16. "Jets sign Blake Wheeler to a five-year contract extension". NHL.com. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
17. https://www.iltalehti.fi/nhl/a/a69af2c2-86be-4e66-827a-558aae48e638
18. "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.

External links

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