Yannick Weber
Birth date23 September 1988 (age 38)
Birth placeMorges, Switzerland
Height5 ft
Height in11
Weight lb200
PositionDefence
ShootsRight
LeagueNL
TeamZSC Lions
Former teamsMontreal Canadiens
Genève-Servette HC
Vancouver Canucks
Nashville Predators
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ntl teamCHE
Draft (2007)73rd overall
Draft teamMontreal Canadiens
Career start2008
Career endpresent

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.[1]

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.[2]

The Canadiens signed Weber to a three-year entry-level contract in the summer of 2008.[2] He spent the majority of the next two seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, with his strong play earning him limited action with Montreal and a spot in the 2009 AHL All-Star Game.[3]

Montreal Canadiens

Weber scored his first career NHL goal during the 2009 playoffs, 20 April against Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.[4] Weber scored his first NHL regular season goal on 9 February 2011, also against Tim Thomas.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] After struggling in the 2015–16 NHL season, the Canucks waived and subsequently assigned him to the Utica Comets in February 2016.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] The Predators signed Weber thereafter to a one-year contract extension worth $650,000 on 13 July.[13]

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.[14]

On 2 January 2021, Weber signed a professional tryout (PTO) agreement to attend the Predators' training camp.[15] However, he was released from this agreement on 13 January.[16]

Pittsburgh Penguins

On 27 January 2021, Weber signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[17] Following the conclusion of the 2020–21 NHL season, he announced his retirement from NHL play after 13 seasons.[18]

ZSC Lions

On 8 June 2021, Weber signed a three-year contract with the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL).[19] During the midst of the Lions' NL championship run during the 2023–24 season, he was extended for an additional two years.[20]

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.[2] Weber made his senior international debut at the 2009 IIHF World Championship in his home country. Weber was also named to the Swiss roster for the Winter Olympics in 2010,[21] 2014,[22] and 2022.[23]

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.[24][25]

In July 2024, Weber and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Daisy.[26]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2003–04SC BernSUI U20322353982028
2004–05SC BernSUI U203754962500022
2005–06SC BernSUI U201716746—————
2005–06SC LangenthalNLB283038—————
2006–07SC BernSUI U2010002—————
2006–07Kitchener RangersOHL511328414293698
2007–08Kitchener RangersOHL5920355579174131724
2008–09Hamilton BulldogsAHL6816284442201110
2008–09Montreal CanadiensNHL3011231120
2009–10Hamilton BulldogsAHL65725325830002
2009–10Montreal CanadiensNHL50004—————
2010–11Hamilton BulldogsAHL15841210—————
2010–11Montreal CanadiensNHL41110112232020
2011–12Montreal CanadiensNHL604141830—————
2012–13Genève–Servette HCNLA325162140—————
2012–13Montreal CanadiensNHL60222—————
2013–14Vancouver CanucksNHL49641016—————
2013–14Utica CometsAHL72570—————
2014–15Vancouver CanucksNHL6511102130600012
2015–16Vancouver CanucksNHL4507724—————
2016–17Nashville PredatorsNHL7317825220115
2017–18Nashville PredatorsNHL472351641012
2018–19Nashville PredatorsNHL6226818—————
2019–20Nashville PredatorsNHL411231440000
2020–21Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL20000—————
2021–22ZSC LionsNL4931215361803312
2022–23ZSC LionsNL5258132790116
2023–24ZSC LionsNL5245914133584
2024–25ZSC LionsNL505152016160446
NHL totals4992866941954242619
NL totals235225678133563131628

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2005SwitzerlandWJC189th61016
2006SwitzerlandWJC7th61014
2006SwitzerlandWJC18 D112th502222
2007SwitzerlandWJC7th613410
2008SwitzerlandWJC9th624614
2009SwitzerlandWC9th30008
2010SwitzerlandOG8th50006
2014SwitzerlandOG9th40002
2014SwitzerlandWC10th73144
2016SwitzerlandWC11th71234
2019SwitzerlandWC8th701118
2022SwitzerlandOG8th50112
Junior totals29591456
Senior totals3845944

Awards and honours

AwardYearRef
OHL
Second All-Rookie Team2007[27]
J. Ross Robertson Cup champion2008[3]
Second All-Star Team2008[28]
AHL
All-Rookie Team2009[29]
All-Star Game2009[18]
National League
Swiss Championship2024[30]

References

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA". Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  2. ^ "Canadiens lock up Weber". Montreal Canadiens. 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2008-08-17. – via NHL.com.
  3. ^ "2009 PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team announced". TheAHL.com. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  4. ^ "Bruins' Ryder gets revenge against Habs". Yahoo! Sports. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  5. ^ Hickey, Pat (2011-02-10). "Bruins, Habs light it up in Beantown". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  6. ^ "Weber doesn't receive Qualifying offer from Canadiens". NHL.com. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  7. ^ "Canucks re-sign Yannick Weber". Vancouver Canucks. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-22. – via NHL.com.
  8. ^ Goffenberg, Daniel (2016-02-06). "Canucks defenceman Yannick Weber clears waivers". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  9. ^ "Canucks recall Weber & Friesen from Comets". Vancouver Canucks. 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2016-06-22. – via NHL.com.
  10. ^ "Predators sign Weber to one-year contract". Nashville Predators. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01. – via NHL.com.
  11. ^ "Yannick Weber Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Berger, Nicola (2017-06-06). "Yannick Weber spielt die saison seines lebens" (in German). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  13. ^ Vingan, Adam (13 June 2017). "Predators sign Yannick Weber to 1-year contract". The Tennessean
  14. ^ "Weber, Irwin, Bitetto sign with Predators". NHL.com. 9 January 2018.
  15. ^ Bratten, Brooks (2 January 2021). "Predators Announce 2021 Training Camp Roster, Schedule". Nashville Predators. Retrieved 2 January 2021. – via NHL.com.
  16. ^ Stanley, Robby (13 January 2021). "Granlund and Sbisa are "non-roster" players right now. Yannick Weber was released from his PTO. Philip Tomasino has been assigned to Chicago (AHL).". Retrieved 13 January 2021. – via Twitter
  17. ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Defenseman Yannick Weber to a One-Year Contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021. – via NHL.com.
  18. ^ Sweetland, Josh (July 26, 2021). "Rangers alumnus Yannick Weber announces retirement from NHL". CHL.ca. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "Yannick Weber rentre chez lui" (in French). Le Journal de Montréal. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  20. ^ Leuthold, Andrei (20 May 2024). "Schlüsselspieler konnten gehalten werden: Die Titelverteidigung ist durchaus möglich" (in de-CH). sport.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Bulldogs Defenceman Yannick Weber Named To Switzerland Olympic Team". OurSportsCentral.com. January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Brigidi, Matt (January 6, 2014). "Winter Olympics 2014: Switzerland unveils men's ice hockey roster". SB Nation. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Stephens, Mike (January 18, 2022). "Switzerland Unveils 2022 Men's Olympic Roster". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  24. ^ MacIntyre, Iain (February 10, 2015). "Canucks' Yannick Weber bonds with 'adopted' father". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Belfer, Ilana (July 3, 2022). "Carey Price's Sister Is Now Married To A Former Montreal Canadiens Player". MTLBlog.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  26. ^ "Daisy James Weber 🌼 07.11.2024". July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  27. ^ "2006-07 Rookie All-Star Teams". CHL.ca. April 26, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "Awards - OHL Second All-Star Team". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "2008-09 AHL All-Rookie Team announced". TheAHL.com. April 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  30. ^ "The ZSC Lions win the 2023-24 championship". swisshockeynews.ch. April 30, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.