Former Hurricanes Netminder Enshrines Himself In Hockey History

Alex Nedeljkovic has forever enshrined himself in hockey history.

The former Carolina Hurricane scored a goal last night in the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, nailing the empty-netter late in the third period from 184-feet away (the second longest goalie goal in league history).

Not only was that Nedeljkovic's first career NHL goal, making him the 16th goaltender in NHL history to register one, but he also became the first goalie ever to have goals at the ECHL, AHL and NHL levels.

The journeyman netminder scored his first professional goal with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL on Dec. 30, 2016. Two years later, he scored for the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL on March 10, 2018.

Last year, he scored for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL on Nov. 17, 2023 and now here he is, scoring goals at the highest level of hockey.

The Parma, Ohio native also became the first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal and have an assist in the same game, as Nedeljkovic also picked up the secondary apple on Pittsburgh's third goal of the game. 

Carolina drafted Nedeljkovic in the second round of the 2014 draft. He appeared in 29 games for the Hurricanes across five seasons with the organization and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2020-21.

He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2021 and has bounced around between the AHL and NHL since. He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google New