Associate Goaltending Coach Alex Westlund Hired by Detroit Red Wings
July 8, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Detroit Red Wings announced today that they have hired Alex Westlund as goaltending coach.
Westlund, 46, departs Hershey after serving as the team's associate goaltending coach for the past five seasons. Under Westlund's watch, Hershey's goaltending tandem of Pheonix Copley and Zach Fucale won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award in 2020-21, presented to the goaltender(s) on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. The Bears allowed an average of 2.33 goals per game, finishing with the fewest goals against in the AHL for the first time since 1996-97. Westlund's tenure in Hershey has also seen him guide goaltenders Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek, who have each graduated to the NHL.
The New Jersey native joined the Washington organization after spending two seasons as the goalie coach with the DEL's Augsburg Panther Eishockey Club in Germany, in addition to working with Zagreb of the KHL. His resume also includes experience with USA Hockey, serving as the head goalie coach and evaluator for the New England District, being a member of the goalie evaluation group for the USA Hockey's Select 17 Festival, and participating in the prestigious Warren Strelow Camp.
In his playing career, Westlund appeared in over 750 professional games over the course of 16 seasons from 1999-2015. He spent time in the American Hockey League with the Worcester IceCats, Milwaukee Admirals, and Hartford Wolf Pack. A vast amount of his playing career was spent overseas, including four years with Linz EHC of the Austrian Erste Banke Eishockey Liga from 2008-12. He earned league MVP honors in 2010, and helped the club to its second league championship in 2012. In his career, Westlund was selected twice to represent his country. He won the Deutschland Cup as a member of Team USA in 2003, and played in the 2004 World Championships.
A graduate of Yale University, Westlund remains the all-time leader in games played (99) and saves (2,704) for the Bulldogs. He played at Yale from 1994-1999, and in 1998, he was named a NCAA 2nd Team All-American, and won the Ken Dryden Award as the ECAC's Goaltender of the Year.
The Bears will return to the ice for the club's 85th season in the American Hockey League in October. A schedule will be released later this summer. Season ticket information may be found at HersheyBears.com.
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