Blake Wheeler
Blake James Wheeler ( born August 31, 1986 in Plymouth, Minnesota ) is an American professional ice hockey player. Since July 2011, he plays for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League for the position of right winger.
Career
Wheeler played during his high school years, first at the Wayzata Senior High School, but moved out after one year at the Breck School. There he accomplished in the season 2003/ 04 the breakthrough when he was able to record 45 goals and 55 assists, and thus was the most successful player in his age group of the State of Minnesota. He also led his team to win the state championship and was named most valuable player. The following summer, the Phoenix Coyotes chose the then 17 -year-old off at the fifth overall position of the NHL Entry Draft in 2004. At the start of the 2004 /05 Wheeler decided his last high school year in the United States Hockey League to spend at the Green Bay Gamblers to prematurely get used to the higher level of college hockey. The Gamblers, the right winger played a successful season with 47 points in 58 games, which he was the top scoring player of the Gamblers and earned him an appointment to the All- Rookie team of the USHL.
In summer 2005, Wheeler began his college education at the University of Minnesota, where he at the same time for the university team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, a league of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, ran aground. In his first year, he completed a year of solid play with 23 points in 39 matches. Furthermore it to the U.S. Hockey Association nominated for the national squad for the Under-20 Junior World Cup in 2006 in Canada. In seven games Wheeler scored two goals and reached there with the team after a defeat in the semi-finals and 3rd place match only the fourth place. The following season, Wheeler played his most successful year for the Golden Gophers, which was crowned by winning the championship of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Wheeler himself drove in the decisive tournament with a hat-trick in the semi-finals and the overtime - winning goal in the final, which earned him the title of tournament MVP. Also in the 2007/ 08 season he remained in college and decided against a change in the professional sector. The playing time he graduated - in terms of his offensive statistics - like the preseason, but the team was able, also due to injury-related failures of some leading players, the success in the championship not repeat.
Four years after Wheeler was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes, he still had not agreed with them via a contract. Although he had offered a valid address for the National Hockey League contract to the maximum terms for a rookie the Coyotes to Wheeler end of May 2008 a so-called Unrestricted free agent decided to be the beginning of the free agent period July 1, 2008, and thus to have the chance to sign a contract with the team of his choice. The Phoenix Coyotes have been compensated by the cancellation Wheelers according to the NHL Draft regulations with a draft pick of the second round, 35th in the NHL Entry Draft in 2008. As a result, his agent with the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins called, New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens several teams ready for the Wheeler was playing, but closed with it at the same time a contract was signed with the Minnesota Wild, which, as two-thirds all NHL teams, due to the origin Wheelers hope had made a commitment from. On 16 June 2008 gave the 21 -year-old finally announced that he had decided for a change to the Boston Bruins. The signature on a three- year contract was given on 1 July 2008, the first day of possible free-agent commitments, officially known.
In February 2011, the Boston Bruins gave him a transfer business in common with Mark Stuart from in exchange for Rich Peverley and Boris Valábik to the Atlanta Thrashers. End of October 2012, he signed a contract with EHC München Red Bull, which was valid until the end of the NHL lockout.
Awards and achievements
- 2005 USHL All- Rookie Team
- 2007 Broadmoor Trophy win with the University of Minnesota
- 2007 MVP of the WCHA Final Five Tournament
- 2009 NHL Young Stars Game
- 2009 NHL Young Stars Game MVP
Career Stats
Internationally
Represented the U.S. at:
- U20 Junior World Cup 2006
- World Cup 2011
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )