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Carolina Hurricanes: Alex Nedeljkovic Didn’t Come From Out of Nowhere

By Matthew Nidiffer

May 30, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) comes out onto the ice before the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game one of the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) comes out onto the ice before the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game one of the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

AHL Tenure (2016-2020)

Alex Nedeljkovic would begin to make the transition to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL in the 2016-17 season.

He’d see 25 games worth of AHL action, where he’d post an uncharacteristic .881 SV%, 3.40 GAA, 8-14-1 win/loss record, and 1 shutout.

Ned would return to the Florida Everblades, where he’d return to form a bit; Ned’s ECHL stats this season were a .903 SV%, 2.97 GAA, and a 6-4-0 win/loss record in 12 gp. He’d play in the ECHL postseason as well, where he’d notch 7 games played alongside a stellar .930 SV% and an equally stellar 1.92 GAA.

Ned would also see his first action in the NHL this season as well, in relief of Cam Ward against the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 17th, 2017.

We’d see Alex Nedeljkovic fully transition to a full-fledged AHL starter role in the 2017-18 season. Ned would lead the Checkers to the playoffs with a .903 SV%, 2.55 GAA, and a 31-12-5 win/loss record in 49 regular season games played. In the playoffs, Ned would register a .919 SV%, a 2.11 GAA, and a 4-4-0 win/loss record in 8 games played.

Alongside his first solid year in the AHL, Nedeljkovic would score a goal against the Hartford Wolfpack on March 10, 2018, cementing his place in AHL history as the 13th goaltender in AHL history to score a goal. He also scored back in his ECHL days, but who’s counting?

The 2018-19 season would see Alex Nedeljkovic transform into a fully-fledged NHL-ready goaltending prospect. Ned would again lead the Checkers to the postseason, this time with a .916 SV%, 2.26 GAA, and a gaudy 34-9-6 win/loss record in 51 regular season games played.

The 2018-19 AHL Playoffs would see Ned reach a whole new level of success, as he’d backtop the Checkers to a Calder Cup Championship win after posting a .916 SV%, 2.34 GAA, and a 10-4-0 win/loss record in 14 postseason games played.

The 2018-19 season would also see Ned win the Aldege ‘Baz’ Bastien Award for top goaltender in the AHL.

Needless to say, Alex Nedeljkovic was (in my opinion) ready to make the jump to the NHL at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, but wouldn’t quite get there as the Canes had Petr Mrazek and James Reimer ahead of him on the depth chart going into the 2019-20 NHL Season.

Ned would be called up to the NHL, alongside fellow Checkers goaltender Anton Forsberg, and would play 4 games in the NHL during the 2019-20 season as both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer would become injured after the now legendary ‘David Ayres’ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ned’s stats were nothing special in that time frame (.887 SV%, 3.05 GAA, 1-2-1 win/loss record), and he’d be sent back to the AHL with Forsberg to complete the season. That is, until COVID paused both the AHL and the NHL seasons indefinitely.

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