Yannick Weber

Yannick Cyril Weber (born 23 September 1988) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). He was selected in the third round, 73rd overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL entry draft. Weber has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Vancouver Canucks.

Playing career

Early career As a youth, Weber played in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Central Switzerland.

Weber began his professional hockey career in his native Switzerland, playing for SC Langenthal of the National League B, the second-highest tier of Swiss hockey. However, he moved to Canada in 2006 to develop his game with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Over the course of two seasons with the Rangers, Weber scored 96 points and added 26 more in the playoffs. In 2007–08, his last season with the Rangers, he helped the team to their fourth J. Ross Robertson Cup championship and to the final of the 2008 Memorial Cup.

The Canadiens signed Weber to a three-year entry-level contract in the summer of 2008.

Montreal Canadiens Weber scored his first career NHL goal during the 2009 playoffs, 20 April against Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins. Weber scored his first NHL regular season goal on 9 February 2011, also against Tim Thomas. Weber contributed two goals during the Canadiens' first round 2011 playoff series against the Boston Bruins, both times beating Tim Thomas. On 9 October 2011, Weber scored a power play goal against the Winnipeg Jets, contributing to a 5–1 Canadiens win in Winnipeg's first regular season game since 1996.

Vancouver Canucks On 5 July 2013, he signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks after not being qualified as a restricted free agent by the Canadiens.

In the 2014–15 NHL season, Weber set a career-high record in goals with 11. He scored five of those 11 in the final 11 games of the season, 4 of which were on the powerplay. On 1 July 2015, he re-signed with the Canucks to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. After struggling in the 2015–16 NHL season, the Canucks waived and subsequently assigned him to the Utica Comets in February 2016. However, due to a season-ending injury to Alexander Edler, he was recalled just a few days later before playing any games for the Comets. He would finish the season with the Canucks but did not appear in many games after this point.

Nashville Predators On 1 July 2016, Weber left the Canucks after three seasons, signing a one-year contract as a free agent with the Nashville Predators. He registered eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 73 regular-season games during the 2016–17 NHL season, as well as one assist in 22 playoff games to help Nashville advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since entering the NHL in 1998 before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

On 6 June 2017, it was announced that Weber had turned down offers from Geneva and Lugano (that would have paid him more than CHF1.7 million a year over multiple seasons) to pursue his NHL career. The Predators signed Weber thereafter to a one-year contract extension worth $650,000 on 13 July.

After appearing in 26 games to begin the 2017–18 NHL season, the Predators opted to re-sign Weber yet again, this time to a two-year, $1.35 million contract worth $675,000 annually in January 2018.

On 2 January 2021, Weber signed a professional tryout (PTO) agreement to attend the Predators' training camp. However, he was released from this agreement on 13 January.

Pittsburgh Penguins On 27 January 2021, Weber signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Following the conclusion of the 2020–21 NHL season, he announced his retirement from NHL play after 13 seasons.

ZSC Lions On 8 June 2021, Weber signed a three-year contract with the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). During the midst of the Lions' NL championship run during the 2023–24 season, he was extended for an additional two years.

International play Since 2005, Weber has been a perennial mainstay on the Swiss national team. He made his international debut at the IIHF World U18 Championships in the Czech Republic. He went on to represent his country three times at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, captaining the team at the 2008 tournament, where he scored 6 points in as many games. 2014, and 2022.

Personal life Weber is the brother-in-law of former Canadiens teammate Carey Price through marriage to the latter's younger sister, Kayla, in July 2022. The couple originally met at the 2014 Sochi Olympics when Weber was there to play for Switzerland, and she to see her brother play for Canada.

In July 2024, Weber and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Daisy.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2003–04 SC Bern SUI U20 32 2 3 5 39 8 2 0 2 8 2004–05 SC Bern SUI U20 37 5 4 9 62 5 0 0 0 22 2005–06 SC Bern SUI U20 17 1 6 7 46 — — — — — 2005–06 SC Langenthal NLB 28 3 0 3 8 — — — — — 2006–07 SC Bern SUI U20 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2006–07 Kitchener Rangers OHL 51 13 28 41 42 9 3 6 9 8 2007–08 Kitchener Rangers OHL 59 20 35 55 79 17 4 13 17 24 2008–09 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 68 16 28 44 42 2 0 1 1 10 2008–09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 0 1 1 2 3 1 1 2 0 2009–10 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 65 7 25 32 58 3 0 0 0 2 2009–10 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2010–11 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 15 8 4 12 10 — — — — — 2010–11 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 1 10 11 22 3 2 0 2 0 2011–12 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 4 14 18 30 — — — — — 2012–13 Genève–Servette HC NLA 32 5 16 21 40 — — — — — 2012–13 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 0 2 2 2 — — — — — 2013–14 Vancouver Canucks NHL 49 6 4 10 16 — — — — — 2013–14 Utica Comets AHL 7 2 5 7 0 — — — — — 2014–15 Vancouver Canucks NHL 65 11 10 21 30 6 0 0 0 12 2015–16 Vancouver Canucks NHL 45 0 7 7 24 — — — — — 2016–17 Nashville Predators NHL 73 1 7 8 25 22 0 1 1 5 2017–18 Nashville Predators NHL 47 2 3 5 16 4 1 0 1 2 2018–19 Nashville Predators NHL 62 2 6 8 18 — — — — — 2019–20 Nashville Predators NHL 41 1 2 3 14 4 0 0 0 0 2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2021–22 ZSC Lions NL 49 3 12 15 36 18 0 3 3 12 2022–23 ZSC Lions NL 52 5 8 13 27 9 0 1 1 6 2023–24 ZSC Lions NL 52 4 5 9 14 13 3 5 8 4 2024–25 ZSC Lions NL 50 5 15 20 16 16 0 4 4 6 NHL totals 499 28 66 94 195 42 4 2 6 19 NL totals 235 22 56 78 133 56 3 13 16 28

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2005 Switzerland WJC18 9th 6 1 0 1 6 2006 Switzerland WJC 7th 6 1 0 1 4 2006 Switzerland WJC18 D1 12th 5 0 2 2 22 2007 Switzerland WJC 7th 6 1 3 4 10 2008 Switzerland WJC 9th 6 2 4 6 14 2009 Switzerland WC 9th 3 0 0 0 8 2010 Switzerland OG 8th 5 0 0 0 6 2014 Switzerland OG 9th 4 0 0 0 2 2014 Switzerland WC 10th 7 3 1 4 4 2016 Switzerland WC 11th 7 1 2 3 4 2019 Switzerland WC 8th 7 0 1 1 18 2022 Switzerland OG 8th 5 0 1 1 2 Junior totals 29 5 9 14 56 Senior totals 38 4 5 9 44

Awards and honours Award Year RefOHL Second All-Rookie Team 2007 J. Ross Robertson Cup champion 2008 AHL All-Rookie Team 2009 All-Star Game 2009