Wennberg on Why He Wanted To Come Back to San Jose, Ready To Compete for Cup With Sharks (+)

Alex Wennberg told the San Jose Sharks over the summer that he wanted to stay.

The 31-year-old pending UFA is now off the market, re-signed to a three-year, $18 million contract today.

Wennberg was originally inked by the San Jose Sharks to a two-year deal in the summer of 2024.

Wennberg spoke after practice today, his excitement from the just-signed contract still palpable.

He shared why he’s so excited to return to San Jose, his teammates’ reaction, and more.

It’s been a great week for Wennberg, who was named to the Swedish Olympic team earlier this week.

Alex Wennberg, on why the timing was right for the extension:

I mean, I’m super excited. We loved San Jose from the first second we got here. To be a part of this in the future as well and make it our second home from Sweden, we couldn’t be happier with everything in this organization—what we’re doing here, what we’re building, I’m just super excited. It’s hard to keep in the emotions because it’s something that I’ve always wanted, so I’m just happy it happened. It’s been a good week, and I couldn’t end it any better.

Wennberg, on what it means for the San Jose Sharks organization to invest in him coming out of the rebuild:

There’s trust from them that’s showing that they want me around and like what I’m doing. I feel so honored to get that deal as well, and for us as a team to move forward here. We’re showing that we want to be a playoff team—we want to push for it, we want to go and win the Stanley Cup. I feel like to also get the validation that I get to be a part of this, it feels amazing. I felt it from the second I got here too, from the coaches and everyone, they really had to believe in me as well. I’m just going to keep pushing to be even better for them as well and make this even more.

Wennberg, on how much he loves being in San Jose:

That’s exactly the thing. There are so many good things about it. When I came in with the family, we’d never really been here before, but from the first second, we really loved it. I mean, for us, we also feel like we’re going to be here giving back to the community and be an even bigger part of it. There’s so many exciting things for us, and hopefully the team sees that as well, that we really want to give back…It’s just amazing to feel like our feeling towards the city and the team is also the same way felt towards me.

Wennberg, on how where the team’s place in the standings factored into his decision:

Obviously, I really like where our team is right now and what we’re building on the future we have. For me as well, I want to play for a team, but I feel like the values of the team, what we’re striving for, and overall, I feel like I belong here as well. There’s a different aspect that made a difference, but for us, it was a no-brainer. I always wanted to re-sign here, and the fact that we did it right now, there was no hesitation at all for me. I feel like everything about this is just a great fit for me, and I feel like it really helped the team as well, so it just worked out for the best.

Wennberg, on when he started feeling San Jose was where he wanted to be:

Even in the summer, I told them I would really like to be back here. I’ve been honest with them from the get-go that this is a place I really love. I let my agent deal with all that stuff, it goes back and forth, but I just try to play hockey and focus on what I can do. Right now, it happened really quickly at the end here, but my feelings were always the same and I always wanted the same thing. Just the fact that it happens right now, especially with this week, there’s been a lot of good things happening, so I’m overwhelmed with that. Like I said, I just couldn’t be happier that it happened.

Wennberg, on how this stability might help him going forward:

Everything about it—I know where I’m going to be for the next few years, and I know that I’m going to be competing with the guys around me as well. Like I said from the start here too, we’re building to become a tough team to play against and get into the playoffs, and I feel like we have all the pieces. Everything about this, like you said. I’m going to be playing with a lot of positives behind me, and I feel like it’s just going to help me push to be even better.

Wennberg, on the focuses for the team going into the second half of the season:

It’s been a good first half, but we have to keep pushing. Every team you play against is a really good opponent, so there’s no point in taking a step back. We’re going to move forward and we’re going to learn how to be more consistent and show up every single night and play the same hockey, and especially stick to our identity. If we skate, if we play hard, if we forecheck, we’re tough to beat. I feel like right now, we talk about it a lot, but it’s time to bring that to action as well. I feel like this group is growing, we’re getting more mature, so it’s going to come more and more, but it’s a great opportunity for us to be in this race and really show what we’re meant to do and what the team wants.

Wennberg, on how the extension came together:

I think we started the negotiation [a little while ago], but how it works is we go back and forth. Obviously, you have to wait for the right timing and then it’s tough to say exactly when I knew it was going to happen. It all finished today. Until the last second, you’re still waiting to see what’s going to happen. Right now, when I went to sign the piece of paper, I just felt all the emotions and all the excitement, which is all still kind of new. I’m still kind of enveloped in this whole thing, but as you can probably tell, I couldn’t be more excited.

Wennberg, on how the family feels:

Same thing. Like I said, it’s not only me, it’s my kids and my wife. We have so many good memories already, so to even have more years here to build a future and have my kids grow up here, it’s just the perfect place. Right now, like I said, it’s all new, but we were good at keeping our excitement last night. It’s amazing, and I’m kind of speechless, to be honest.

Wennberg, on when exactly he found out:

Everyone was talking last night, and then we finished it all off and got the deal done today. It’s that recent. That’s why it’s all still kind of new. Obviously, they talk to the agent and Mike is talking way more than I do, so I don’t hear every conversation, but the way they handle it, they’re such pros. For me to just get it done, I’m just super happy with it.

Wennberg, on why three years was the right length:

I feel like three years is a good time. Right now, where the team’s at, what we’re building, and there’s a lot of young players. I’m not saying it’s going to be three years and then we’re done, maybe there could be an extension, but this is a perfect time to have a future here, and then we’ll see how it goes. I feel like both parties are happy with it, and we’ll see after that. Every player is different, every team wants different things. I feel like both parties are really happy and we both saw it as a win-win and felt like it was a good fit for us. Like I said, I’m more than happy to be a Shark for the rest of my career, and we’ll see how it goes. We’re taking these three years, and then we’ll have a new conversation, hopefully.

Wennberg, on his teammates’ reactions:

I kind of just told them right now, because it’s all new…Just even that, they’re all so happy as well. I really feel like, with this group, even if it’s a great success for me, they seem like they’re really happy for me as well, and I would be for them as well. That’s why it’s such a special group. Everyone is just so happy for one another, we fight for one another. To have this news, to feel like I’m going to be with them for another three years—teammates, coaches, all of them—it just feels amazing.

Special thanks to Maddie Dutra for her help transcribing.