VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks signed 22-year-old defenseman Alex Edler to a four-year contract extension on Friday.
The deal will keep Edler under contract through 2012-13. Financial terms were not disclosed. He started his third NHL season with a plus-2 rating in a 6-0 win over Calgary on Thursday night.
"Alex is a gifted puck-moving defenseman who sees the ice extremely well for such a young player," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement. "He has made great strides in his career and we look forward to further growth and development in his game."
Edler emerged as a top-four defender for the Canucks last season, leading the injury-ravaged defense with 75 games, while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time and recording a career-best 20 points. In 97 NHL games, the 6-foot-3 Swede has 23 points and 48 penalty minutes.
Edler was drafted 91st overall in the 2004 by the Canucks. He played for Sweden at the 2006 World Junior Championships and at last summer's World Championships, and represented Vancouver in the Young Stars Game during the 2008 All-Star weekend in Atlanta.
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