SAN JOSE — Sharks center Alexander Wennberg knew that this year was likely going to represent his last best chance to play for his country in the Winter Olympics.

Following a solid first half of the season, Wennberg got the news he was hoping for earlier this week as he was one of 25 players selected to play for Sweden at the upcoming Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.

Wennberg, 31, was informed by Sweden’s coach, Sam Hallam, about his inclusion on the roster on Wednesday, with the team being made public on Friday. He became the second Sharks player to be officially named to an Olympic roster after fellow center Macklin Celebrini was selected to Canada’s team on Wednesday.

“I feel like I’m kind of still in the shock moment a little bit because obviously this is something I’ve been working for my entire life,” Wennberg said. “It almost feels a little bit surreal, that it’s not really happening. I’m trying to still soak it in and enjoy it.”

Wennberg, now in his 12th NHL season and his second with the Sharks, is tied for third on the team with 26 points in 40 games. He played his best in December with 13 points in 14 games, helping the Sharks go 8-6-0 during the month and enter today’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Wennberg, entrenched as the Sharks’ second-line center since the start of the season, is on pace to have his best year statistically since 2016-17 when he had 59 points in 80 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wennberg had 35 points in 77 games with the Sharks last season.

Wennberg didn’t have the opportunity to play in the Olympics earlier in his career as the league chose not to send its players to the Games in 2018 or 2022. The NHL has committed to allowing its players to compete in the 2030 Winter Olympics in France, but Wennberg will be 35 and likely past his prime by then.

So when it came to being an Olympian, it was now or never for Wennberg, a steady, reliable forward who can play up-and-down the lineup and either on the wing or at center.

“This felt like my last opportunity to have a chance to actually make the team,” Wennberg said. “It’s really special. Obviously, the career goes up and down. There’s some moments that are not so great, and this is obviously a peak. It’s just an exciting journey to be part of.”

While Wennberg was elated, Sharks winger and fellow Stockholm native William Eklund was disappointed not to be one of the 14 forwards selected.

While it was not immediately clear why Eklund, 23, was passed over for a spot in what was his first real chance to play in the Olympics, experience could have been a factor. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Eklund is in just his third full NHL season, and Swedish officials might have opted for a heavier and more veteran roster to better compete with fellow gold medal favorites Canada and the United States.

Eklund grew up playing center but has shown in the NHL that he’s better suited on the wing, which may have limited his chances of making Sweden’s team.

Eklund, who has 26 points in 36 games, wasn’t divulging many details of his conversations with Swedish management, other than saying, “I feel like they liked what they saw from me, they liked how I played this year. But anything more I’m going to keep private.”

Eklund was only 3 years old when Sweden won gold at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, but Wennberg remembers it well. Legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidström’s goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner as Sweden beat Finland 3-2 in the gold medal game.

“Just those moments. I still remember them like it was yesterday,” Wennberg said. “So obviously, I want to take my jersey and maybe create new memories.”

KLINGBERG INJURED

Sharks defenseman John Klingberg has a lower body injury and is considered doubtful to play against the Lightning.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday that Klingberg’s injury cropped up during the Sharks’ 4-3 shootout win against the Minnesota Wild, when the veteran defenseman had a team-high 25:46 in ice time.

Klingberg has been the Sharks’ most productive defenseman since he was scratched for two straight games before Thanksgiving, with 10 points in 16 games while averaging a team-high 22:10 ice time.

If Klingberg is unable to play today, Warsofsky said he’s optimistic Timothy Liljegren will be able to re-enter the lineup. Liljegren has missed the past five games with an upper body injury but was paired with Dmitry Orlov for Friday’s practice and said afterward that he felt good.

SMITH, KURASHEV UPDATE

Sharks forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev remain week-to-week with their respective upper body injuries but Warsofsky said the team is optimistic that both will be back before the start of the Olympic break in early February.

Smith and Kurashev were both injured during the Sharks’ 6-5 overtime win over the Penguins on Dec. 13. They have each missed the past seven games, during which the Sharks have gone 4-3-0 to move into a Western Conference wild-card spot.