Canucks bring back Alex Edler for player development role
The Vancouver Canucks continue to add former club stars to the organization, adding retired defenseman Alex Edler to the team’s player development department, assigning him to work with some of the team’s best young players.
Now 40, Edler spent parts of 15 seasons with the Canucks and was a key part of the team that advanced to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and captured the 2011 and 2012 Presidents’ Trophies. He becomes the latest former player to join the team’s staff, under co-presidents of hockey operations Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as well as general manager Ryan Johnson and NHL head coach Manny Malhotra.
Earlier in the summer, Edler joined the Canucks’ Development Camp in Abbotsford, helping usher in a new era of Canucks prospects, headlined by recent fifth-overall selection Caleb Malholtra.
“Alex knows first-hand what it means to be a Vancouver Canuck,” said Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson in a press release. “His past experience in the NHL will really help in our players’ development; he understands the demands of what it takes to be a good pro both on and off the ice, while his skill set and communication will be a big plus when it comes to coaching and mentoring our prospects. Earlier this month we saw Alex’s hands-on approach at our Development Camp in Abbotsford, and the feedback we received about the job he did was excellent.”
As a player, Edler spent 17 years in the NHL. Drafted 91st overall in the third round of the 2004 NHL Draft by the Canucks, he made his debut in 2006, rising to be a key part of the team’s blueline and earning an NHL All-Star Game nomination in 2012.
After his time with the Canucks ended after the 2021 season, he skated with the Los Angeles Kings for two seasons before ending his playing career in 2023. In total, the Swedish blueliner played 1,030 NHL games, scoring 104 goals and 439 points.
Internationally, he also won two gold medals with Sweden at the IIHF World Championship in 2013 and 2017 and captured an Olympic silver medal in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
