Evan Weinger

Evan Weinger (born April 18, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He last played with Södertälje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

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. As a result of his second successful season, Weinger signed another contract extension to remain with the Barracuda. While the league was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weinger was loaned to the HC TPS in the Liiga. He played in nine games for the team, recording one goal, before returning to the AHL. On February 13, 2021, Weinger played in his 100th career AHL game.

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.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2013–14 Los Angeles Jr. Kings T1EHL 35 12 14 26 38 — — — — — 2014–15 Portland Winterhawks WHL 61 7 19 26 27 17 1 5 6 2 2015–16 Portland Winterhawks WHL 63 10 15 25 33 4 0 0 0 0 2016–17 Portland Winterhawks WHL 62 20 18 38 37 9 2 2 4 8 2017–18 Portland Winterhawks WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2017–18 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 64 31 26 57 23 11 3 4 7 6 2018–19 San Jose Barracuda AHL 60 11 11 22 16 4 2 2 4 0 2019–20 San Jose Barracuda AHL 38 9 11 20 2 — — — — — 2020–21 HC TPS Liiga 9 1 0 1 4 — — — — — 2020–21 San Jose Barracuda AHL 28 4 4 8 25 4 1 2 3 0 2021–22 San Jose Barracuda AHL 60 12 12 24 18 — — — — — 2022–23 Tulsa Oilers ECHL 9 6 5 11 10 — — — — — 2022–23 San Diego Gulls AHL 39 3 5 8 28 — — — — — Liiga totals 9 1 0 1 4 — — — — —