SAN JOSE—Doug Wilson, General Manager for the San Jose Sharks, disclosed on Tuesday, May 9 that the team has signed 20 year-old forward Manuel Wiederer to an entry-level contract.

The Deggendorf, Germany native is 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. Beginning in 2014, Wiederer played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Germany’s top-tier professional hockey league, facing opponents who were more than a decade older than him.

He was selected by San Jose in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft and is the first from the team’s 2016 draft class to sign with the organization.

In 2015-2016, Wiederer played his first season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He placed third on the team with a total of 64 points from 29 goals and 35 assists. He ranked second in plus/minus (+23). During the playoffs, the then first-year player led the team with 12 goals and 16 points, placing at T-4th in the league for playoff goals.

During the 2016-2017 season, Wiederer played his second season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He attained 29 goals and 24 assists for a total of 53 points, along with 29 penalty minutes. He finished third on the Huskies in goals, fourth in points, and second in power-play goals. He collected 10 additional points (comprised of four goals and six assists) in 12 playoff games, for which he ranked T-5th on the team.

Wiederer has played in 114 games with the QMJHL, totaling 117 points (comprised of 58 goals and 59 assists) and obtaining a plus-21 rating.

Wiederer has represented his home country in the 2016 D1A World Jr. Championships, 2015 World Jr. Championships, and 2014 U-18 World Jr. Championships.

Wiederer (@wieds_21) posted this photo on Instagram with the caption: "Extremely honored and proud to sign my first NHL contract with the @sanjosesharks ! thanks to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, my agents and everyone who helped and supported me along the way! #sharks"
Wiederer posted on Instagram: “Extremely honored and proud to sign my first NHL contract with the @sanjosesharks ! thanks to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, my agents and everyone who helped and supported me along the way! #sharks”

“Manuel mixes a defensively responsible two-way game with speed and offensive creativity and has proven that he can play with players much older than he is. He takes pride in his defensive game, but has also shown that he can produce when asked to provide offense. We look forward to him developing his overall game with our organization,” said Wilson of the Sharks’ newest recruit.