Blake Wheeler
American forward drafted fifth overall by Phoenix Coyotes.
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Blake James Wheeler is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, and New York Rangers. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL entry draft, but after failing to come to terms on a contract, he signed with the Bruins as a free agent.
Lore & Background
Wheeler was born in Plymouth, Minnesota, to parents Pat and Jim and older sister Brooke. He attended Breck School in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where he played hockey and football, setting a record for most catches by a tight end in the Prep Bowl. During the 2002–03 season, he helped lead the Wayzata Bantam team to the AA Silver Stick title and the Minnesota A Bantam State title, accumulating 130 points in 60 games.
He then moved to Breck School for his junior and senior years, putting up a state-high 45 goals and 55 assists during the 2003–04 season and leading his team to a Class A State Hockey Championship with a hat trick in the final game. After being drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL, Wheeler left Breck after his junior year, stating he wanted to test himself against bigger and older players. He played one season with the Gamblers, leading the team with 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points.
Reader's Guide
Wheeler's path to the NHL was marked by an unexpected draft selection—he was ranked 17th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau but was taken fifth overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. After four years without a contract agreement, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Boston Bruins, who received a compensatory second-round pick.
Wheeler made an immediate impact in the NHL, scoring his first career goal in his debut game and recording a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his first game wearing number 26. He was named to the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game, where he scored four goals and earned Game MVP honors. His college career at the University of Minnesota included a hat trick in the 2007 WCHA Semifinals and the tournament MVP award, as well as a spot on the All-WCHA Third Team in his final season.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 |
| 2020–21 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 50 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 50 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 65 | 17 | 43 | 60 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 72 | 16 | 39 | 55 | 46 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | New York Rangers | NHL | 54 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 1,172 | 321 | 622 | 943 | 764 | 66 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 31 | ||
International
| 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 honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| WCHA All-Tournament Team | 2007 | |
| All-WCHA Third Team | 2007–08 | |
| NHL | ||
| NHL YoungStars Game | 2009 | |
| NHL YoungStars MVP | 2009 | |
| NHL All-Star | 2018, 2019 | |
| NHL second All-Star team | 2018 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Blake Wheeler (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Blake Wheeler (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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