Alex Nedeljkovic
Alexander Nedeljkovic (/nɛˈdɛlkɪvɪtʃ/; born January 7, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender of Serbian descent. He is currently playing for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nedeljkovic was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (37th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
| Alex Nedeljkovic | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nedeljkovic with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019 | |||
| Born |
January 7, 1996 Parma, Ohio, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Carolina Hurricanes Charlotte Checkers (AHL) | ||
| NHL Draft |
37th overall, 2014 Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
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Playing career
Nedeljkovic grew up in Cleveland where he played for the Cleveland Barons bantam AAA team,[1] and played with them in the 2009 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.[2]
He started his major junior play in 2012 in the Ontario Hockey League with the Plymouth Whalers, where in his rookie season he posted a goals against average of 2.28 to win the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy,[3] and was also named to the 2012–13 OHL First All-Rookie Team.[4] The following season Nedeljkovic won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and was selected to play in both the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game[5] and the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.[6]
At the conclusion of the 2014–15 season with the Whalers, Nedeljkovic was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 27, 2015. He was assigned to ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades to make his professional debut in the final regular season games.[7]
During his final season of junior in the 2015–16 campaign, Nedeljkovic was traded by the Flint Firebirds, along with fellow Hurricanes draft pick Josh Wesley to the Niagara IceDogs for goaltender Brent Moran in November 2015.[8]
In his rookie professional season in 2016–17, on December 30, 2016, Nedeljkovic, while playing for the Florida Everblades became the 12th ECHL goaltender to score a goal.[9] On January 17, 2017, Nedeljkovic played his first NHL game in relief of starter Cam Ward against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.[10]
During the 2017–18 season, on March 10, 2018, while playing for the Charlotte Checkers in a game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, Nedeljkovic became the 13th goaltender in AHL history to score a goal.[11]
After starting the 2018–19 season with the Checkers, Nedeljkovic was recalled to the NHL on January 17, 2019.[12] On January 23, 2019, Nedeljkovic made his first NHL start against the Vancouver Canucks. He made 24 saves on 26 shots to secure his first win in the NHL.[13]
On June 28, 2019, the Hurricanes re-signed Nedeljkovic to a two-year contract extension.[14]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2012–13 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 26 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1371 | 52 | 2 | 2.28 | .923 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 864 | 39 | 1 | 2.71 | .908 | ||
| 2013–14 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 61 | 26 | 27 | 7 | 3436 | 165 | 1 | 2.88 | .925 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 272 | 20 | 0 | 4.41 | .905 | ||
| 2014–15 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 55 | 20 | 28 | 7 | 3206 | 167 | 5 | 3.13 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 178 | 10 | 0 | 3.38 | .841 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Flint Firebirds | OHL | 19 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1122 | 60 | 1 | 3.21 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 30 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 1766 | 80 | 1 | 2.72 | .907 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1026 | 48 | 0 | 2.81 | .903 | ||
| 2016–17 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 25 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 1287 | 73 | 1 | 3.40 | .881 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 12 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 565 | 28 | 1 | 2.97 | .903 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 406 | 13 | 0 | 1.92 | .930 | ||
| 2017–18 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 49 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 2726 | 116 | 5 | 2.55 | .903 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 541 | 19 | 1 | 2.11 | .919 | ||
| 2018–19 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 51 | 34 | 9 | 5 | 2917 | 110 | 4 | 2.26 | .916 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 897 | 35 | 1 | 2.34 | .916 | ||
| 2018–19 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | .923 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 29 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 1661 | 69 | 4 | 2.49 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 217 | 11 | 0 | 3.05 | .887 | ||||||||||
| NHL totals | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 307 | 13 | 0 | 2.55 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | WJC18 |  |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 360 | 11 | 1 | 1.84 | .902 | |
| 2016 | United States | WJC |  |
7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 420 | 9 | 1 | 1.66 | .943 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 780 | 20 | 2 | 1.54 | .923 | ||||
Awards and honors
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| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| First All-Rookie Team | 2012–13 | [15] |
| F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy - Best Rookie GAA | 2012–13 | [16] |
| CCM/USA Hockey All-American Top Prospects Game | 2013 | [17] |
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2014 | [18] |
| Goaltender of the Year | 2013–14 | [19] |
| First All-Star Team | 2013–14 | [20] |
| AHL | ||
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award Top goaltender | 2018–19 | [21] |
| First All-Star Team | 2018–19 | [22] |
| Calder Cup (Charlotte Checkers) | 2019 | [23] |
| All-Star Game | 2020 | [24] |
| International | ||
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament – Silver with Team USA | 2013 | [25] |
References
- "Alex Nedeljkovic".
- "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- "Nedeljkovic Has Been A Rock For The Whalers". JuniorHockey.com. April 1, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- "Plymouth Whalers goalie Alex Nedeljkovic quickly gaining notice". sport195.com. March 28, 2013. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- "Prospector Files: OHL draft-eligible All-Star team". Prospector Files.com. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- "Team Orr edges Team Cherry in CHL Top Prospects Game". CBC Sports. January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- "Canes agree to terms with Alex Nedeljkovic". Carolina Hurricanes. March 27, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- "Firebirds Trade Nedeljkovic and Wesley to Niagara". flintfirebirds.com. December 7, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Toohey, Ryan (January 10, 2017). "ECHL hockey: Blades goalie Alex Nedeljkovic relishing scoring goal on Dec. 30". naplesnews.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Smith, Michael (January 18, 2017). "Nedeljkovic Makes NHL Debut in Home State". NHL.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Niedzielski, Nicholas (March 10, 2018). "GOALIE ALEX NEDELJKOVIC SCORES IN CHARLOTTE'S 7-3 WIN OVER HARTFORD". gocheckers.com. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Nicholas Niedzielski (January 17, 2019). "CANES RECALL ALEX NEDELJKOVIC". gocheckers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- RotoWire Staff (January 24, 2019). "Hurricanes' Alex Nedeljkovic: Secures first NHL win". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- "Canes Re-Sign Alex Nedeljkovic to Two-Year Deal". Carolina Hurricanes. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- "Whalers Conclude 2012-13 Season with Awards Banquet". Plymouth Whalers. May 2, 2013. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- "Whalers Vincent Trocheck, Alex Nedeljkovic Win OHL Awards". Plymouth Whalers. March 28, 2013. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- "Alex Nedeljkovic, Connor Chatham Selected for 2013 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game". OurSportsCentral.com. April 1, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- "Alex Nedeljkovic prospect profile". Hockey'sFuture.com. February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- "Alex Nedeljkovic is OHL goalie of the year". Ontario Hockey League. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- "2013-14 OHL All-Star Teams announced". Ontario Hockey League. April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- "NEDELJKOVIC NAMED AHL'S TOP GOALTENDER FOR 2018-19". AHL. April 17, 2019.
- "2018-19 American Hockey League First and Second All-Star Teams Named". OurSports Central. April 11, 2019.
- "Check and mate! Charlotte wins Calder Cup". American Hockey League. June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- "Bracco, Liljegren added to All-Star roster". American Hockey League. February 1, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- "USA Hockey names team for Ivan Hlinka Tournament". National Hockey League. August 1, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Garret Sparks |
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award 2018–19 |
Succeeded by Kaapo Kähkönen |