| Karl Alzner | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1988 Burnaby, BC, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team | Washington Capitals |
| National team | Canada |
| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 2007 Washington Capitals |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 2008 Czech Republic | |
| Gold | 2007 Sweden | |
Karl Alzner (born September 24, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for the Washington Capitals. He was drafted in the first round, 5th overall, by the Capitals in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. A standout in junior, Alzner won two World Junior Hockey Championship gold medals with team Canada (as the captain), and was named the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s top player and Canadian Hockey League (CHL)'s top defenceman in 2008.
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Alzner played four Western Hockey League (WHL) seasons with the Calgary Hitmen as part of a standout junior career. He was a member of Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championships as one of only two players who had not been selected in the NHL draft (the other being Sam Gagner). Shortly after returning to Calgary after the World Junior Championships, Alzner headed to Quebec City, Quebec to play in the 2007 Top Prospects Game. Alzner was joined by two other players from the Hitmen: Brett Sonne and Alex Plante. Alzner and Sonne played for the White team, while Plante joined the victorious Red team.
Alzner was an assistant captain in the 2007 Super Series against the Russian junior team, and was named captain of Team Canada for the 2008 World Junior Championships, both of which were won by Canada. Alzner was named the WHL Player of the Year and Defenceman of the Year for the 2007–08 WHL season.[1] He was also named the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League.
Alzner is in his third professional season in the Capitals organization, having been assigned to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) to start 2008–09. He was called up to the Washington Capitals roster on November 26, 2008, making his NHL debut that night against the Atlanta Thrashers. He recorded his first NHL point (an assist) on December 4, 2008, against the New York Islanders. He recorded his first goal the next game on December 6, 2008, on Hockey Night in Canada against Vesa Toskala of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alzner's reactions to this accomplishment were captured in an audio-journal he was keeping for the Hockey Diaries project. Alzner was sent back down to Hershey on January 28, 2009 to make room for returning defenceman Tom Poti. He was recalled during the Capitals' playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 3 as a precautionary measure after injuries to several Washington defencemen, but did not see any action.
In his second season with the Capitals in 2009–10, he was called up to the NHL several times by the Capitals. He played on a defensive pairing with John Carlson in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
On July 15, 2011, Alzner signed a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals. [2]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 66 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 2005–06 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 70 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 63 | 8 | 39 | 47 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 60 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 48 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 30 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 56 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 21 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| WHL totals | 260 | 19 | 98 | 117 | 94 | 59 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 21 | ||||
| AHL totals | 104 | 7 | 34 | 41 | 20 | 26 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 133 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Canada | SS | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 21 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Preceded by Semyon Varlamov |
Washington Capitals first round draft pick 2007 |
Succeeded by Anton Gustafsson |
| Preceded by Kris Russell |
Winner of the CHL Defenceman of the Year 2008 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Blum |
| Preceded by Kris Russell |
Winner of the WHL Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy 2008 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Blum |
| Preceded by Kris Russell |
Winner of the WHL Four Broncos Memorial Trophy 2008 |
Succeeded by Brett Sonne |