The San Jose Sharks re-signed Alexander Wennberg to a three-year contract extension worth $18 million ($6 million average annual value), the team announced Sunday.

Wennberg signed a two-year deal with the Sharks as a free agent in the summer of 2024 and has become a solid middle-six center in his two seasons with the club. The 31-year-old is having an effective offensive season for a surprise playoff contender, scoring seven goals and adding 19 assists in 41 games. According to a source close to the player, the deal, which starts in 2026-27, includes a no-trade clause in the first two years. Wennberg’s AAV this season is $5 million.

Done deal. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/1Jqb95o1yT

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 4, 2026

One of several potential unrestricted free agents in San Jose, Wennberg has been very useful in filling a hole as the Sharks’ second-line center while 2025 No. 2 draft pick Michael Misa continues to develop. Misa, 18, played in seven games with the Sharks early and is competing for Canada as it takes on Czechia on Sunday in the World Juniors semifinals.

While the Sharks could have explored what the return would be for trading Wennberg by the March 6 deadline, the Swedish pivot has value to a team currently holding one of the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. Wennberg is at a price point at which his $6 million AAV or three-year term isn’t onerous, even if he slides to a 3C role if Misa is ready by next season or Will Smith is moved to center behind Macklin Celebrini.

Wennberg has been a deadline piece before; he was dealt by the Seattle Kraken to the New York Rangers for the Blueshirts’ 2024 playoff push. He has a big role for the Sharks as he’s playing a career-high 20:34 in ice time, just four seconds on average behind Celebrini among San Jose’s forwards. While he’s just 45.3 percent on faceoffs, Wennberg’s net-front presence has been highly effective on the power play and in five-on-five situations.

“I’m an older guy, but I still have a lot of hockey left in me,” Wennberg said. “And to be part of this, what we’re building with the young guys, yeah, I’m excited about it too. For sure.”

The extension provides some stability for a veteran now on his fifth NHL team. He’s played in 830 games and has 108 goals and 390 points with Columbus, Florida, Seattle, New York and San Jose. He likes the trajectory of the Sharks and the opportunity to continue playing with Celebrini, an ascendant 19-year-old superstar.

“Honestly for me, the plan was always for me to be a part of this one,” Wennberg told The Athletic last week. “Even when I signed here, I said I really look forward to be part of this building (stage). I went through it. I came to Seattle and started with a new organization and I feel like I can be a great asset to it.”

Named to Sweden’s Olympic team on Friday, Wennberg called it an “amazing week” on Sunday.

“I’m super excited,” Wennberg said. “We loved San Jose from the first second we got here. To be a part of this and the future as well, make it our second home from Sweden, we couldn’t be happier. Everything with this organization, what we’re doing here, what we’re building for, I’m just super excited.

“Hard to keep in the emotions because it’s just something that I always wanted so I’m just happy to (have it) happen. Been a good week and I couldn’t end it better.”

Wennberg called it a “win-win” when it came to negotiating the three-year term. He said the commitment allows him, his wife Felicia and their two young children to entrench themselves further in the San Jose community. The Sharks have a known commodity as they move into a contention arc, but also retain some added flexibility with the center’s NTC going away in the final year of the new deal.

“Obviously, the trust from them, showing that they want me around and like what I’m doing,” Wennberg said. “I feel so honored to get that deal as well and for us as a team as well to move forward here. Showing that we want to be a playoff team. We want to push for it. We want to go and win the Stanley Cup.”