Alex Westlund
Born (1975-12-28) December 28, 1975
Flemington, New Jersey, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for KHL Medveščak
National team  United States
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 1999–2014
Medal record
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Czech Republic

Alex Westlund (born December 28, 1975) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who is now working as a coach.

Playing career

Raised in Chatham, New Jersey, Westlund played prep hockey at Chatham High School, starting in goal as a freshman, and at the Lawrenceville School, earning him a spot in 2010 in the New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.[1]

He attended Yale University from 1995 to 1999, earning All-America Second Team honors. In his final year at Yale, Westlund won the William Neely Mallory Award,[2] "given to the senior man who on the field of play and in life at Yale best represents the highest ideals of American sportsmanship and Yale tradition", according to the Yale website.[3] He left Yale holding several all-time school records including wins, saves and games played. He was also presented with the Ken Dryden Award for the ECAC’s best goalie of the year.

Westlund began his professional career with the Dayton Bombers of the East Coast Hockey League during the 1999–2000 season. His career includes stints in the IHL, ECHL, AHL, in Russia, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Croatia and China.[4]

Westlund would also play for Team USA at the 2004 IIHF World Championship as the third goaltender, although he didn't have any ice time, his team would win bronze.

Coaching career

He has been working for Pro Crease Goaltending since January 2013.[5][6] In July 2015, Westlund was named goalie coach of German side Augsburger Panther.[7] Prior to the 2016–17 season, he joined the staff of Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL as goalie coach.[8] On July 8, 2022 he was hired to be the goaltending coach for the Detroit Red Wings under new head coach Derek Lalonde.[9]

Awards and honours

Award Year
All-ECAC First Team 1997–98 [10]
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1997–98
Ice Hockey World Championships Bronze Medal (USA) 2004 [11]
Austrian League Most Valuable Player 2009–10 [12]

References

  1. ↑ Alex Westlund Class of 2010, New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Westlund posted a 2.70 goals against average in his high school career and went on to have a solid collegiate career at Yale. As a high school freshman he made his mark at Chatham as the team went 14-8-3. In 1991-92 he led Lawrenceville to an 18-6 mark, a year in which the Mercer County school had no Post-Graduates on its roster."
  2. ↑ "William Neely Mallory Award". Yale University. February 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Elliott and Mallory Awards: Varsity Sports". Yale University. May 31, 1999. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Alex Westlund". eliteprospects.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Alex Westlund". linkedin.com. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ "About Pro Crease". Pro Crease. March 30, 2010. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Zwei neue Trainer für die Augsburger Panther". Augsburger Allgemeine. July 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Cameron embarks on KHL coaching career with Dwyer, HC Medvescak - Hockey - The Guardian". www.theguardian.pe.ca. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Red Wings add Bob Boughner and Alex Westlund to coaching staff". NHL.com. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Athlete of the Week: Alex Westlund | Jan 15, 1999". Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ Urbanc, Marin. "IHC Medveščak Mladi //". KHL Medveščak Mladi. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Westlund wertvollster Spieler der Saison". oe24.at. March 30, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
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