Alexander Edler

Alexander Edler (born April 21, 1986, in Östersund, Jämtland, Sweden) is a Swedish defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted out of Sweden's third-tier ice hockey league by the Canucks 91st overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and played junior hockey with Modo of the J20 SuperElit and the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Sweden
Alexander Edler was a virtual unknown during his draft year – unranked by the Central Scouting Bureau the entire year. He was brought to the attention of the Vancouver Canucks by the team's head scout in Sweden, Thomas Gradin, who saw Edler playing in Sweden's third-tier league with now-defunct Jamtland. Although Gradin would refer to the team's level of play as little more than beer-league-calibre, he was impressed with Edler and encouraged Canucks management to draft him (Edler's number 23 with the Canucks would be chosen by team trainers in honour of Gradin). The Canucks traded up in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft to acquire the Dallas Stars' third-round draft pick in exchange for their own third-round pick in 2005 and selected Edler 91st overall. The deal was made with the Stars in lieu of speculation that the Detroit Red Wings had a high interest in Edler and wanted to draft him in the third round, having also discovered Edler in Sweden through their European scout Håkan Andersson, responsible for the Red Wings' previous late-round steals Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

After being selected by the Canucks, Thomas Gradin brokered a move for Edler to play with Modo's elite junior team of the J20 SuperElit in 2004, who produced future Canucks teammates Markus Naslund, Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

North America
Reporting to the Manitoba Moose's training camp in 2005, the Canucks American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, he was assigned to the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, where he played one season of major junior. Following the Canucks' 2006 training camp, Edler was assigned to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose for the 2006–07 season. Early in the season, he was called up by the Canucks on November 3, 2006, after an injury to defenceman Sami Salo and made his NHL debut on November 4 against the Colorado Avalanche. Edler was called up on several more occasions throughout the length of his professional rookie season and appeared in 22 games total for the Canucks. Back in the AHL, he scored 5 goals and 26 points in 49 games and was named Manitoba's Rookie of the Year.

Playing in his rookie season with the Canucks in 2007–08, Edler was chosen to compete in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game for the Western Conference. Noted for his offensive skills, he showcased his powerful slapshot at the Canucks 2008 SuperSkills event, beating reigning hardest shooter Sami Salo with a 99.3 mile per hour shot. After completing a 8-goal, 20-point rookie season with the Canucks in 2007–08, he was signed at the start of the 2008–09 season to a four-year, $13 million contract extension. That season, he recorded a personal best 4-point game (1 goal, 3 assists) in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 7, 2009.

Awards

 * Named Manitoba Moose Rookie of the Year in 2007.
 * Named to NHL YoungStars Game in 2008.
 * Won the Vancouver Canucks Superskills Hardest Shot Competition in 2008 and 2009.