Former Golden Gopher Blake Wheeler Extends Point Streak To Start Season

Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

With two assists against the Minnesota Wild Sunday night, Winnipeg Jets winger Blake Wheeler extended his point scoring streak to eight straight games. That is a new franchise record, as well as the longest streak going in the NHL right now, and Wheeler has tallied four goals and seven assists during the season-starting scoring streak. The previous record for a point scoring streak for the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise was held by Donald Audette, who had a seven-game streak during the 2000-01 season.

Wheeler is a Minnesota native, born in Robbinsdale and attending Breck High School, and he was drafted fifth overall by the then-Phoenix Coyotes in 2004. But he chose to go to the University of Minnesota, and after a productive junior season (15 goals and 20 assists) he ultimately signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent in July of 2008. Wheeler made his NHL debut the following season, 2008-09, and he was a productive part (45 points, +36 plus-minus) of a Bruins’ team that won the Northeast Division.

Now in his eighth NHL season, Wheeler has 263 points (101 goals and 162 assists) over 320 career games. He has also been very durable, missing no more than three games in any season to this point, which could be expected with his imposing size (6’5″, 205 lbs).

Wheeler is a three-time NHL All-Star, in each of the last three seasons with the Jets. With this fast start, he’s well on his way to making it four straight All-Star campaigns this year.