Alexander Nedeljkovic (born January 7, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nedeljkovic was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (37th overall) of the 2014 NHL entry draft.
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Early life
Nedeljkovic is of Serbian descent. His grandparents are from a village near the town of Ljubovija, Serbia. The back plate of his mask has a Serbian cross, an homage to both his Serbian descent and his Orthodox faith. Nedeljkovic is the oldest of four children, with one younger brother and two younger sisters. His mother is a nurse and he is reportedly unsure of what his fathers profession is.
Playing career
Junior
Nedeljkovic grew up in Cleveland, where he played for the Cleveland Junior Barons bantam AAA team, and played with them in the 2009 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.
Nedeljkovic started his major junior play in 2012 in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Plymouth Whalers, where in his rookie season he posted a goals against average of 2.28 to win the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy, and was also named to the 2012–13 OHL First All-Rookie Team. The following season, Nedeljkovic was selected to play in both the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game and the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Professional
At the conclusion of the 2014–15 season with the Whalers, Nedeljkovic signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 27, 2015. He was assigned to the ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades, to make his professional debut in the final regular season games.
During his final season of junior in the 2015–16 season, Nedeljkovic was traded by the Flint Firebirds, along with fellow Hurricanes draft pick Josh Wesley, to the Niagara IceDogs in exchange for goaltender Brent Moran in November 2015.
In his rookie professional season in 2016–17, on December 30, 2016, while playing for the Florida Everblades, Nedeljkovic became the 12th ECHL goaltender to score a goal. On January 17, 2017, Nedeljkovic played his first NHL game, in relief of starter Cam Ward against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
During the 2017–18 season, on March 10, 2018, while playing for the Charlotte Checkers in a game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, Nedeljkovic became the 13th goaltender in the American Hockey League (AHL) history to score a goal.
After starting the 2018–19 season with the Checkers, Nedeljkovic was recalled to the NHL on January 17, 2019. On January 23, against the Vancouver Canucks, he made his first NHL start in which he made 24 saves on 26 shots to secure his first win in the NHL.
On June 28, 2019, Nedeljkovic signed a two-year contract extension with the Hurricanes.
In the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Nedeljkovic remained with the Hurricanes due to the expanded roster, and responded with a break-out season in the NHL. On February 20, 2021, in a 4–0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nedeljkovic recorded his first career NHL shutout. On April 1, Nedeljkovic was named NHL's Rookie of the Month for games played in March. In 23 regular season games, he posted a 15–5–3 record for the division-leading Carolina and tied for the NHL rookie lead in shutouts alongside Ilya Sorokin with three. Nedeljkovic recorded a 1.90 goals-against average and .932 save percentage to led all NHL goaltenders who played at least 20 games. On May 17, Nedeljkovic got his first Stanley Cup playoffs win with a 5–2 win over the Nashville Predators. On May 19, Nedeljkovic recorded his first Stanley Cup playoffs shutout with a 3–0 victory over the Predators. He collected four wins in nine postseason games, unable to help propel the Hurricanes past the second-round. In June 2021, Nedeljkovic was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL's rookie of the year, placing third behind Kirill Kaprizov and Jason Robertson, and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
International play
Nedeljkovic won a silver medal with the United States under-18 team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Personal life
Nedeljkovic is married to his wife, Emma is a nurse and the pair met when he was playing for the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League. Their son was born in early 2024.
Nedeljkovic has expressed his desire to get his pilots license, after being able to fly with the Blue Angels in the summer of 2022 in Detroit.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
Honors
Only goaltender to score a goal in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
Only goaltender to score a goal and get an assist in the same game.