When the San Jose Sharks signed Alex Wennberg on the first day of free agency in 2024, the team was hoping the then-29-year-old center might be able to help usher in a new era of Sharks hockey. It honestly could not have gone any better. What the Sharks got out of Wennberg in these last two years has been a leader on and off the ice. The forward has shown young players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Collin Graf how to play the right way. He and his family have been pillars in the San Jose community, and they have offered a second home to young Shark William Eklund in a sport that can probably feel isolating at times.
Wennberg’s addition to the roster has been invaluable, which is likely why General Manager Mike Grier made it a priority to re-sign the forward in the middle of this season.
Wennberg’s 2025-26 production
Wennberg has rewarded the Sharks with plenty of goals to celebrate, setting a career mark.
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- | Shooting % | TOI/Game |
| 80 | 18 | 37 | 55 | -25 | 19.4% | 20:27 |
In his 80 games for the Sharks, Wennberg scored 18 goals, bettering the 17 times he lit the lamp in the 2020-21 season with the Florida Panthers. Wennberg also registered 55 points for the Sharks, just four points shy of his career high of 59 points in his 2016-17 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also had a career high in ice time, averaging 20:27 per game.
And can we just spend a moment reveling in his shooting percentage? 19.4%! Will it last? No. But go off, king.
San Jose’s shutdown forward
His offensive production is icing on the cake when you consider that Wennberg’s true value comes from what he does on the other side of the puck. He and his linemates were handed some of the toughest assignments this season and, honestly, the fact that he performed as well as he did in these situations is incredible. Whenever possible, Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky sent the forward out against the top forward lines to alleviate some of the pressure on Celebrini and Smith. It allowed Smith and Celebrini to thrive, while Wennberg did the heavy lifting defensively.
Wennberg held his own against some of the top lines in the league. His one deficiency this season was shorthanded. He had the second-highest ice time on the team behind Collin Graf. Wennberg finished the season with 171:55 of ice time shorthanded and the most defensive zone starts of any of the centers.
Of course, when you consider that Wennberg received a healthy dose of the top power play units in the league on a nightly basis, it’s easy to understand why his shorthanded numbers might have taken a hit.
Given a better defense next season and potentially a better structure on the penalty kill, Wennberg could see better stats shorthanded, leading to an even better overall performance as the team’s second line center.
Presence in front of the net
One of the spaces that Wennberg excelled this past season was in front of the net, where he seems to have perfected the art of annoying a goaltender without taking that dreaded goaltender interference penalty.
While he wasn’t always rewarded on the scoresheet with an assist or a goal, there were several instances where Wennberg would position himself in front of the net and create enough chaos that it would allow his teammates to score.
For example, on April 2, the forward was the distraction in front of Calgary Flames’ netminder Dustin Wolf, obstructing his view while the other Sharks moved the puck around the perimeter until they found the shot that they wanted to tie the game.
The goal that tied the game! pic.twitter.com/qkgNLFxNiE
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 2, 2026
On Nov. 5, 2025, against the Seattle Kraken, Wennberg implemented a different kind of distraction. The forward did a fly-by, making the goaltender think that he was going to deflect the puck into the net.
3-1 Sharks. Perfect drive-by screen from our old friend Alex Wennberg. pic.twitter.com/ATc5zD2kT8
— Emerald City Hockey (@EmeraldCityHky) November 6, 2025
And on Jan. 24, the battle in front of the net with the New York Rangers’ player created a lot of chaos, preventing the Rangers’ goaltender from picking up the true threat, Celebrini sneaking in from the side.
Right off Mack's skate and in 🤌 pic.twitter.com/uaFTbWIT24
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) January 24, 2026
In all three instances, Wennberg used his presence as a way to create time and space for the other players on the ice. Even without touching the puck, the forward was able to create plays for the rest of his teammates. It’s something that some of the younger forwards will hopefully learn from as they continue to develop in the league.
Wennberg’s future with the Sharks
On Jan. 4, Wennberg re-upped with the Sharks, deciding to stay in San Jose for another three years. His contract has a cap hit of $6 million per season. The deal includes a no-trade clause for this upcoming season and the 2027-28 season. In the 2028-29 season, it turns into a modified no-trade clause with a 12-team list.
What that means is that Wennberg’s here to stay for at least the next two years which is great news for Sharks fans. He’s the number two center for Team Teal for this season and potentially next until Michael Misa starts threatening to take over the spot. In season three, barring a significant drop off in production, having Wennberg as a third line center would be a treat for any contending NHL team.
Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out the player reviews for the San Jose Sharks. We realize there were a lot of guys rotating into and out of the lineup and some of the key depth players were traded. As a result, Fear the Fin plans to focus on the players who are 1) still with the Sharks and 2) played 20 or more games for San Jose this season.
