San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has acquired goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (nuh-DEHL-koh-vihch) from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2028 third-round draft selection.
Nedeljkovic, 29, appeared in 38 games with Pittsburgh last season, posting a 14-15-5 record with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. He also appeared in one game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a 1-0-0 record and a 3.00 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
In 179 NHL games with Carolina, Detroit and Pittsburgh, Nedeljkovic has posted a 74-60-27 record, a 3.00 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage with nine career shutouts.
In his first full NHL season of 2020-21, Nedeljkovic led the NHL with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team and finished third in Calder Memorial Trophy voting as the NHL’s top rookie.
That same season, he posted a 2.17 goals-against average and a.920 save percentage in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Hurricanes.
Nedeljkovic also has a flare for offense. On January 17, 2025, Nedeljkovic scored his first career NHL goal, becoming the 16th NHL goaltender to do so. He also became the first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal and record an assist in the same game, as well as the only goaltender to score a goal in the NHL, AHL and ECHL.
Nedeljkovic has played extensively in the AHL as well, accumulating 182 games with Charlotte, Grand Rapids and Wilkes-Barre. His AHL career includes winning the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award presented annually to the American Hockey League's best goaltender and being named a First Team All-Star in 2018-2019, winning the Calder Cup Championship alongside then-Checkers assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky in 2019 and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team in 2020.
He has represented the United States at the 2024 World Championships, the 2016 World Junior Championships (bronze) and the 2014 U-18 Championships (gold).
The six-foot, 203-pound native of Parma, Ohio was originally selected by Carolina in the second round (37th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
