Alex Westlund

Alex Westlund enters his first season as the Detroit Red Wings' goaltending coach. Westlund was named to his current position on July 8, 2022 after spending the previous five seasons in the Washington Capitals' organization as the associate goaltending coach for the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears.

Westlund, 46, worked directly with Washington's minor-league affiliates, providing daily instruction to prospects in Hershey and the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Under Westlund's tutelage, Hershey's goaltending tandem of Pheonix Copley and Zach Fucale won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award in 2020-21, presented to the goaltender(s) on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. Additionally, Westlund coached the duo of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek, both of whom have graduated to the NHL.

The Flemington Village, N.J., native joined the Capitals' organization prior to the 2017-18 season after spending two years in Germany as the goalie coach with Augsburger Panther Eishockey Club in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 2015-17, in addition to working in the same capacity for Medvescak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2016-17 campaign.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Westlund suited up in over 750 professional games over the course of 16 seasons from 1999-15. His time in North America included 13 AHL contests over parts of three seasons between the Worcester IceCats, Milwaukee Admirals, and Hartford Wolf Pack. While playing overseas, Westlund earned league MVP honors with Linz HC of the Austrian Erste Banke Eishockey Liga in 2010 and helped the team secure its second league championship in 2012. He also won the Deutschland Cup as a member of Team USA in 2003 and won a bronze medal representing his country at the 2004 IIHF World Championship.

Before turning professional, Westlund attended Yale University from 1995-99 and remains the program's all-time leader in games played (99) and saves (2,704). As a junior, Westlund was named a NCAA Second Team All-American and won the Ken Dryden Award as the ECAC's Goaltender of the Year.