Evan Weinger Explained

Evan Weinger
Birth Date:18 April 1997
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:194
Position:Right wing
Shoots:Right
League:ICEHL
Team:Vienna Capitals
Former Teams:San Jose Barracuda
HC TPS
San Diego Gulls
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2018

Evan Weinger (born April 18, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing with the Vienna Capitals of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). As an undrafted player, he was signed out of major junior hockey by the San Jose Sharks organization.

Playing career

Amateur

Weinger was born on April 18, 1997, in Los Angeles, California.[1] He began his minor hockey career with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League before being drafted in the 13th round of the 2012 Western Hockey League (WHL) by the Portland Winterhawks. He remained with the Jr. Kings for the 2013–14 season, recording 12 goals and 14 assists, before signing with the Winterhawks.[2] During his rookie season, Career led team rookies in scoring with seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 61 games. As a result, he was ranked 161st amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau prior to the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[3]

After going undrafted into the NHL twice, Weinger was signed to an Amateur tryout contract by his hometown Los Angeles Kings and participated in their 2017 training camp.[4] Upon being returned to the WHL, Weinger was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for a third round draft choice in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft on October 10, 2017. At the time of the trade, Weinger had played in 187 regular season games and amassed 37 goals, 89 points and 97 penalty minutes.[5] During the 2017–18 season, Weinger recorded 50 points in 55 games and signed an American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the San Jose Barracuda to begin his professional career.[6]

Professional

In his first professional season in San Jose, Weinger played in 60 games and recorded 22 points while also spending time on their top-10 penalty killing unit. When the Barracuda qualified for the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs, he played in four games and tied the team lead in points with four. Following his rookie season, Weinger signed a one-year contract extension on May 28, 2019.[7]

During the shortened 2019–20 season, Weinger led the team in shorthanded goals and points-per-game, and finished second on the team in Plus–minus with +12.[8] As a result of his second successful season, Weinger signed another contract extension to remain with the Barracuda.[9] While the league was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weinger was loaned to the HC TPS in the Liiga.[10] He played in nine games for the team, recording one goal, before returning to the AHL.[11] On February 13, 2021, Weinger played in his 100th career AHL game.[12]

Following his fifth professional season in the AHL, Weinger halted his North American career in signing his first contract abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Austrian based club, the Vienna Capitals of the ICE Hockey League, on May 30, 2023.[13]

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2013–14Los Angeles Jr. KingsT1EHL35 12 14 26 38
2014–15Portland WinterhawksWHL61 7 19 26 2717 1 5 6 2
2015–16Portland WinterhawksWHL63 10 15 25 334 0 0 0 0
2016–17Portland WinterhawksWHL62 20 18 38 379 2 2 4 8
2017–18Portland WinterhawksWHL1 0 0 0 0
2017–18Brandon Wheat KingsWHL64 31 26 57 2311 3 4 7 6
2018–19San Jose BarracudaAHL60 11 11 22 164 2 2 4 0
2019–20San Jose BarracudaAHL38 9 11 20 2
2020–21HC TPSLiiga9 1 0 1 4
2020–21San Jose BarracudaAHL28 4 4 8 254 1 2 3 0
2021–22San Jose BarracudaAHL60 12 12 24 18
2022–23Tulsa OilersECHL9 6 5 11 10
2022–23San Diego GullsAHL39 3 5 8 28
Liiga totals9 1 0 1 4

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Evan Weinger . eliteprospects.com . Elite Prospects . March 15, 2021.
  2. Web site: Hawks Sign Jack Flaman and Evan Weinger . winterhawks.com . March 15, 2021 . September 1, 2014.
  3. Web site: Four Hawks in Final Central Scouting Rankings . winterhawks.com . March 15, 2021 . April 8, 2015.
  4. Web site: Winterhawks Stars at NHL Development Camps: A Roundup . winterhawks.com . March 15, 2021 . July 12, 2017.
  5. Web site: WHEAT KINGS ACQUIRE WEINGER FROM WINTERHAWKS . wheatkings.com . March 15, 2021 . October 10, 2017.
  6. Web site: BARRACUDA SIGN FORWARD EVAN WEINGER TO AHL CONTRACT . sjbarracuda.com . March 15, 2021 . March 3, 2018.
  7. Web site: BARRACUDA RE-SIGN FORWARD EVAN WEINGER . sjbarracuda.com . March 15, 2021 . May 28, 2019.
  8. Web site: A SEASON IN REVIEW: 2019-20 SAN JOSE BARRACUDA . sjbarracuda.com . March 15, 2021 . May 13, 2020.
  9. Web site: SAN JOSE BARRACUDA RE-SIGN FORWARD EVAN WEINGER . sjbarracuda.com . March 15, 2021 . July 23, 2020.
  10. Web site: SHARKS ASSIGN SEVERAL TO EUROPEAN CLUBS . sjbarracuda.com . March 15, 2021 . August 31, 2020.
  11. Web site: TPS:n floppihankinta jättää seuran – tavoittelee NHL-paikkaa . iltalehti.fi . March 15, 2021 . Finnish . December 18, 2020.
  12. Web site: Hawks Lead the Way in the AHL . winterhawks.com . March 15, 2021 . February 15, 2021.
  13. Web site: Capitals sign American Evan Weinger . . May 30, 2023 . May 30, 2023 . German .