USA Hockey Magazine

A L E X N E D E L J K O V I C spot. Ned—no one outside his family calls him Alex—recorded 20 wins, including four shutouts and a .901 save percentage. Alas, the young team and its netminder faltered late in the season and finished with 74 points—25th out of 32 franchises. "It wasn't a bad season, but it wasn't great," he said in summing up the year. "There were nights I was feeling really good about my game, but there was a little stretch there where I was fighting the puck. "The goal for the summer is to find ways to be more consistent and to give us a chance to win every night. I can tell you, we will be better." N e d e l j k o v i c c e r t a i n l y h a s t h e p o t e n - tial to lead a Wings revival and to be a top NHL goaltender. He grew up in Parma, outside of Cleveland. His father, Butch, was a mechanical engineer and his mother, Therese, a nurse. He has a younger brother and two younger sisters who were brought along as travel hockey took Ned to Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh. "Everybody would go. They were like little mini-vacations throughout the year, but I know they all sacrificed a lot to help me in hockey," he recalled. He worked with a well-known goalie coach, Stan Matwijiw, and played his Tier-1 hockey with Michigan powerhouse Belle Tire, where his teammates included Wings captain Dylan Larkin and Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor. Back then, it was hard to imagine all of them starring in the NHL. "It's pretty surreal now when you think of it," Nedeljkovic said. In three seasons with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL, he emerged as a star and drew the attention of NHL scouts. In one season he had 19 games with 40 or more saves, including four with more than 50. He backstopped Team USA to a gold at the 2014 World U18 Championships and was drafted that year in the second round, 37th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes. He posted steadily improving numbers while with the Everblades and Checkers— both Carolina affiliates. He finally saw some regular action with the big club in 2020-21, when he had a goals-against average of 1.90 and a save percentage of .932 in 23 games— good enough to finish third in voting for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. He was on the golf course on an off day in 2021 when his agent called to tell him a trade to Detroit had been finalized. It was almost a dream come true. His wife Emma was studying nursing at Michigan State. Both his family and hers could easily get to Little Caesars from Ohio. "I didn't finish that round of golf. I was just too excited," Ned laughed at the memory. This first season in Detroit had its ups and downs. Among the ups were a 4-0 win against Buffalo, with his grandparents in the stands, a 43-save, 1-0 shutout against Vancouver, and a 4-3 victory against that bunch from Carolina. "Not going to lie, you always have a little bit of motivation going against your former team," he shrugged. Looking ahead, he said he's itching to get to work to help the Wings move forward in the 2022-23 campaign. He'd love to help the team end its six-year playoff drought. Ned also admitted to another idea that doesn't go away: An NHL goal. "The third one is in the back of my head," he laughed. "It's always going to be there." P Neal Boudette is a freelance writer and hockey dad based in Ann Arbor, Mich. 34 // JUNE 2022 T he Goalie Issue USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM The goal for the summer is to find ways to be more consistent and to give us a chance to win every night. I can tell you, we will be better." Alex Nedeljkovic is part of a youth movement in Detroit looking to return the Original Six franchise back to prominence. PHOTOS BY Getty Images

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