University of Minnesota Athletics
Blake Wheeler Named Jets Captain
8/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
WINNIPEG (GopherSports.com) – Gopher Hockey alum Blake Wheeler has been named team captain of the Winnipeg Jets, the organization announced on Wednesday.
An eight-year NHL veteran, Wheeler has tallied 440 points (173 goals, 267 assists) in 615 regular-season NHL games between the Jets, the Atlanta Thrashers, and the Boston Bruins. The forward has also tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in 25 playoff games. Wheeler was the fifth overall selection at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, having been picked in the first round by the Arizona Coyotes.
A native of Plymouth, Minn., Wheeler has also represented the United States at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia and at World Junior Championship in 2006 and a World Championship in 2011.
Wheeler will also suit up for the U.S. at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in Toronto next month.
A three-year letter winner with the Gophers (2006-08), Wheeler totaled 96 points (42 goals, 54 assists) in 127 career games. The forward helped Minnesota capture back-to-back WCHA regular-season crowns in 2006 and 2007 while also scoring one of the biggest goals in program history to win the 2007 WCHA Final Five. Wheeler served as an alternate captain in 2007-08 when he earned all-conference honors as the team’s leading scorer.
-Pride on Ice-
