Leon Draisaitl

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GermanyGermany  Leon Draisaitl Ice hockey player
Leon Draisaitl (2019)

Leon Draisaitl (2019)
Date of birth October 27, 1995
place of birth Cologne , Germany
size 188 cm
Weight 94 kg
position center
number # 29
Shot hand Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 2014 , 1st round, 3rd position
Edmonton Oilers
Career stations
2003-2009 Cologne Sharks
2009–2012 Young eagle Mannheim
2012-2014 Prince Albert Raiders
2014-2015 Edmonton Oilers
2015 Kelowna Rockets
since 2015 Edmonton Oilers

Leon Draisaitl (born October 27, 1995 in Cologne ) is a German ice hockey player who has been under contract with the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League since August 2014 and plays for them in the position of the center . He was selected by the Oilers in the NHL Entry Draft 2014 in third overall position, making him the highest German draft pick in NHL history. At the end of the 2019/20 NHL season , he led the NHL as top scorer and was the first German to win the Art Ross Trophy , as well as the Hart Memorial Trophyand the Ted Lindsay Award for Most Valuable Player in the league. He was also named Germany's Sportsman of the Year .

Draisaitl has been a member of the German national team since the 2014 World Cup . He is the son of the former German national ice hockey player and current coach Peter Draisaitl .

Career

German youth leagues (until 2012)

Leon Draisaitl began his career with the so-called Bambini (U10) of the Kölner Haie . In the following years he played for the junior class (U12), the boys (U14, boys NRW-Liga) and most recently in the school league in the youth division of the Kölner Haie. There he played two seasons in the U16 team, for which he scored 22 goals and 33 assists for a total of 55 scorer points in 44 games this season. The left shooter moved to the Mannheimer Adlers for the 2009/10 season , where he was also used in the team's U16 team. There Draisaitl was able to clearly surpass his personal records in his first season. He set personal best records in goals scored and assists given, the season the striker finally closed with 103 points. Draisaitl was able to increase these achievements in the following season 2010/11: his 97 goals and 95 assists in 29 games earned him the interest of foreign scouts, who saw great talent in the Cologne native. After his record season, Draisaitl switched to the young eagles , the first junior team of the DEL Adler Mannheim team. There, too, the winger was able to prove his talent. At the end of the season only teammate Dominik Kahun was able to win the scorer title of the German junior league with one more template .

Prince Albert Raiders (2012 to 2014)

Due to his promising performance in the German youth system, Draisaitl was selected in the first round of the 2012 CHL Import Draft in second place overall by the Prince Albert Raiders . Last year the Raiders were the worst team in the league with 48 points from 72 games. Nevertheless, thanks to Draisaitl's good performance, the Raiders were able to qualify for the finals again after ten years without participating in the playoffs. His achievements in his first year in North America were so valued by the WHL that Draisaitl was nominated alongside Seth Jones for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy , the award for the best rookie of the season. In 64 games with the Raiders, he scored 21 goals, two of them in power play. He also gave 37 templates for a total of 58 points. The plus / minus statistics of +22 were also remarkable . In the playoffs, however, the Raiders failed with a clear series defeat without a single win (so-called sweep ) of 0: 4 games against the Red Deer Rebels in the first round.

Draisaitl during the CHL Top Prospects Game

Already at the beginning of the 2013/14 season , Draisaitl and teammate Josh Morrissey were expected to be able to take on the role of key player for the Prince Albert Raiders. The original winger was now the undisputed center-forward of the front row and played most of the time with teammate Dakota Conroy . After the left winger Collin Valcourt joined the team after a trade between the Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades , the then 20-year-old developed good chemistry with Draisaitl and Conroy. Henceforth, the three players thus constitute the first line of the Raiders until the end of the season and also played in the same formation in the power play of the Raiders. The Raiders reached the same number of points at the end of the regular season as the Red Deer Rebels, who threw the Prince Albert from the play-offs a year earlier. Since no other tie-breaker is provided by the rules of the WHL than the total number of points, a knockout game between the two teams had to be played in order to award the last play-off place in the Eastern Conference. This last game was won by the Prince Albert Raiders with a final score of 5-3, with Draisaitl contributing two assists to victory in this crucial game. Overall, the Cologne attacker achieved a career record of 38 goals and 67 assists for a total of 105 points in the season, which also represented the best results for the Raiders team in all three categories this season. In the league comparison, Draisaitl and Sam Reinhart of Kootenay Ice shared fourth place on the list of WHL top scorers at the end of the season . Since Leon Draisaitl was barely allowed to be drawn in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft due to his age, the German striker has been closely watched by NHL scouts since the beginning of the second season with the Raiders due to his good rookie season . In the so-called CSS Midterm Ranking , the listing of the top rookies as the estimated draft ranking of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft 2014 , published at the halfway point of the NHL , Draisaitl was ranked second among the young players playing in North America in mid-January 2014. Leon Draisaitl was drawn third in the NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers . At that time he was the highest drafted German player in NHL history. After Prospect Camp, Draisaitl signed a professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers (since 2014)

Leon Draisaitl with the Oilers (2014)

A few weeks after the NHL Entry Draft, Draisaitl signed an entry contract with the Edmonton Oilers. In order to continue working on his playing skills and make his way to the NHL as quickly as possible, the top 3 pick decided to stay in Edmonton for the entire summer. In interviews he stated that with a lot of training, above all, he improved his speed and muscle strength in order to meet the additional requirements in the North American professional league.

Draisaitl convinced in the training camp and the pre-season games of his new NHL team and played his first NHL game on October 9, 2014, the day of the season opener for the Oilers. Since the Oilers team had been thinly occupied in the center position since the beginning of the 2014/15 season , Draisaitl took over the position of the second center forward. Leon Draisaitl played his first games early in the season with Benoît Pouliot and Nail Jakupow on the outside wings, shortly afterwards he switched to a joint striker row with Teddy Purcell and David Perron . The Cologne man reached his first NHL point on October 15, 2014 against the Arizona Coyotes . Draisaitl scored his first goal in the NHL in his eighth NHL game on October 24, 2014 against the Carolina Hurricanes . This goal was also the game-winning goal, Edmonton ultimately won the game 6: 3.

After 37 games in the NHL, in which he scored 9 points, the Oilers sent him back to his WHL junior team, the Prince Albert Raiders, on January 4, 2015. Two days later, Draisaitl was transferred to the league competitor from Kelowna . With the Rockets he not only won the Ed Chynoweth Cup , but was also recognized as the most valuable player in the WHL playoffs. In the subsequent Memorial Cup 2015 , the team failed in the final against the Oshawa Generals , but Draisaitl secured the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as top scorer and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as MVP of the Memorial Cup playoffs.

At the beginning of the 2015/16 season , Draisaitl played all of the Oilers' preparation games. He was not used in these games as a center, but, mainly due to newcomer Connor McDavid , on the left wing. He was mostly used in the third row next to Anton Lander and Nail Jakupow . One day before the deadline for the final squad for the new NHL season was canceled Draisaitl one of the last players from the squad of the team and the AHL - Farm Team Bakersfield Condors sent. At the end of October 2015 he was called back to the NHL squad, where he scored twice on his season debut for the Oilers, including the decisive goal for the 4-3 win in the game against the Montreal Canadiens . In the following months Draisaitl played in an attacking formation with Taylor Hall and moved back to his traditional position of the center in the wake of the injury of Connor McDavid, at the same time Draisaitl received more playing time and greater responsibility on the ice. Through his constant offensive performance, he was instrumental in the successful results of his team in the first third of the season, so in December 2015 the Oilers won six games in a row for the first time in three years, with Draisaitl four in his team's 7-5 victory over the New York Rangers Contributed assists. Its increase in performance compared to the previous year was due in particular to improvements in the field of athletics and skating and received wide media coverage in North America as well as in Germany.

In the 2016/17 season, Draisaitl increased his personal statistics again significantly to 29 goals and 48 assists, so that he completed the best season of a German in the NHL with 77 scorer points (previously Marco Sturm ; 59 points; 2005/06 season). At the same time, he became the first German to rank among the top ten scorers in the league. In the sixth game of the quarter-final series against the Anaheim Ducks , Draisaitl managed his first playoff hat trick on May 7, 2017. In addition to his three hits, he also contributed two assists to the 7-1 success of the Oilers, which forced a decisive seventh game. After the season, he signed a new deal in Edmonton in August 2017 that should earn him an average annual salary of $ 8.5 million over the next eight seasons. This made Draisaitl one of the highest-paid players in the league and at the same time the best-paid German in NHL history.

In the 2018/19 season , Draisaitl took part in the NHL All-Star Game for the first time. After he missed the initial squad nomination, he was voted into the Pacific Division team in the “Last Man In” fan poll . He is the fourth German player to receive this honor after Uwe Krupp , Olaf Kölzig and Marco Sturm . Draisaitl was the first German player to ever reach the 30-goal mark in the NHL in the further course of the season, before he even increased this number to 50 goals at the end of the season and thus placed second in the league's list of goalscorers behind Alexander Ovetschkin . With his 55 assists he was also the first German to reach the milestone of 100 scorer points, with his 105 points placing him fourth on the scorer list. Although the Oilers with Connor McDavid (2nd place) still had another attacker among the four statistically best players in the league in their ranks, the team missed the playoffs again significantly. In the following season , which was canceled prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic , he was the first German player to receive the Art Ross Trophy with 110 points . In the subsequent playoffs, however, the team failed in the qualifying round with 1: 3 at the Chicago Blackhawks . Nevertheless, at the end of the 2019/20 season he was the first German to be awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award for Most Valuable Player in the NHL. He was also included in the NHL First All-Star Team . On December 20, 2020, Draisaitl was honored as Germany's Sportsman of the Year 2020 in Baden-Baden . He is only the second team athlete after Dirk Nowitzki to receive this award.

International

Draisaitl in the dress of the German national team

The striker made his first appearance in the dress of the German national team at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge 2012 . In the same year he was appointed to the DEB team again, now with the nomination for the German squad for the 2012 U18 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship . In these games he scored an average of just over one point per game with two goals and five assists in six games. In the 4-2 victory of the DEB against the Russian selection, he scored two assists and in the game against Switzerland on April 17, he contributed two goals and one assist to the 6-2 victory. The second and last return to this selection was made by Draisaitl at the Ice Hockey World Championship for U18 Juniors in 2013 and achieved the same points yield in one game less.

Due to Draisaitl's performance in the U18 selection, which was rated as good, the Cologne native was now considered a reliable support for the DEB team. As a result, he was also regularly nominated for the next higher age group, the U20 juniors. The first U-20 World Cup played the center in the Russian Ufa in 2013 , the tournament ended for the DEB in the relegation round. The German national team was able to prevent relegation with a win against Norway. In the decisive game Draisaitl scored two goals and prepared two more goals. At the World Cup, Draisaitl achieved a total of six missions, two hits and four assists. His second U20 Junior World Cup, the 2014 U20 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship, was initially riddled with very mixed games by the center forward. Above all, the match penalty for a check from behind against the opponent Andrew Copp of the American selection had major consequences for the striker's tournament: the match penalty resulted in an automatic suspension from an encounter. It was only in the relegation round that Draisaitl was able to take part in the action again, in which Germany had to play three games against Norway. In the first game after the suspension, Draisaitl received another match penalty for a high stick, which, however, in contrast to the penalty for a check from behind according to IIHF rules, does not provide for an automatic game suspension for a game. Draisaitl came to this U-20 World Cup in Sweden on five missions, in which he scored two goals and two assists. Due to the two match penalties, he still got 52 penalty minutes, a significantly higher value than ever in his international career before. As in other tournaments before, the Cologne striker was always used in a row with his former teammate from the junior days at Mannheim, Dominik Kahun.

Draisaitl made his first senior World Cup appearance at the age of 18 on May 10, 2014 as part of the 2014 Ice Hockey World Cup in Minsk , Belarus . In his first game, the left shooter was used in a row with Matthias Plachta and Tobias Rieder . Draisaitl prepared a goal from his teammate Plachta and was named the best player of his team at the end of the encounter. The DEB selection finally won the game after a penalty shootout. In his first game at this level, Draisaitl was on the ice in the fourth row of strikers for a total of 12:05 minutes. He was also nominated at the 2016 World Cup and made eight appearances. He also represented the Europe team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey , where he finished second with the team.

Play style

As a junior player, Draisaitl was considered a great offensive talent, who with his height (2014) of about 1.86 m and a weight of over 95 kg already had good physical conditions for a career in the professional field. At that time, the Cologne-based player was seen as a future complete player who, in addition to dangerous offensive actions, can also help his team on the defensive. Above all, Draisaitl's willingness to bring the puck into the offensive zone and create opportunities independently earned Draisaitl praise. He was particularly valued as a passer who helps his teammates to score chances with precise passes. On the offensive, he usually preferred playing to his own shot. He proved the quality of his passes in the Skill Competition of the NHL All-Star Game 2019 , in which Draisaitl won the pass competition.

Two of the central skills that Draisaitl was already attested to by NHL scouts as a junior are his ability to assert himself and a duel mentality in the opposing zone. He gained his assertiveness in his junior days, especially with his large stature, which the attacker often uses to shield the puck from the defending opponent. He often uses the time gained from longer possession of the puck to wait for a suitable pass situation for his teammates.

Achievements and Awards

International

Career statistics

Status: end of the 2019/20 season

Regular season Playoffs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM +/- Sp T V Pt SM +/-
2005/06 Cologne EC Boys League 17th 17th 13 30th 4th - - - - - -
2006/07 Cologne EC Boys League 20th 28 32 60 26th - - - - - -
2007/08 Cologne EC Boys League 18th 30th 29 59 12 - - - - - -
2007/08 Cologne EC Student BL 14th 2 10 12 11 - - - - - -
2008/09 Cologne EC Student BL 30th 20th 23 43 26th 5 1 6th 7th 4th
2009/10 Young eagle Mannheim Student BL 26th 48 55 103 22nd 5 8th 3 11 4th
2010/11 Young eagle Mannheim Student BL 29 97 95 192 42 5 16 15th 31 0
2010/11 Young eagle Mannheim DNL 6th 0 1 1 2 ± 0 - - - - - -
2011/12 Young eagle Mannheim DNL 35 21st 35 56 39 +29 8th 6th 6th 12 2 +7
2012/13 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 64 21st 37 58 22nd +22 4th 0 4th 4th 0 −4
2013/14 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 64 38 67 105 24 +7 5 1 4th 5 4th +2
2014/15 Kelowna Rockets WHL 32 19th 34 53 25th +14 19th 10 18th 28 12 +17
2014/15 Edmonton Oilers NHL 37 2 7th 9 4th −17 - - - - - -
2015/16 Bakersfield Condors AHL 6th 1 1 2 4th −5 - - - - - -
2015/16 Edmonton Oilers NHL 72 19th 32 51 20th −2 - - - - - -
2016/17 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 29 48 77 20th +7 13 6th 10 16 19th +8
2017/18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 78 25th 45 70 30th −7 - - - - - -
2018/19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 50 55 105 52 +2 - - - - - -
2019/20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 43 67 110 18th −7 4th 3 3 6th +1 0
Boys NRW League (U14) overall 55 75 74 149 42 - - - - - -
School league (U16) overall 99 167 183 350 101 15th 25th 24 49 8th
DNL total 41 21st 36 57 41 +29 8th 6th 6th 12 2 +7
WHL overall 160 78 138 216 71 +43 28 11 26th 37 16 +15
NHL overall 422 168 254 422 144 −24 17th 9 13 22nd 19th +9

International

Represented Germany at:

 

Represented Team Europe at:

year team event result Sp T V Pt SM +/-
2011 Germany U17-WHC 9th place 5 1 4th 5 0
2012 Germany U18 World Cup 6th place 6th 2 5 7th 2 ± 0
2013 Germany U20 World Cup 9th place 6th 2 4th 6th 2 −9
2013 Germany U18 World Cup 8th place 5 1 6th 7th 4th +2
2014 Germany U20 World Cup 9th place 5 2 2 4th 52 −1
2014 Germany WM 14th place 7th 1 3 4th 0 −3
2016 Germany WM 7th place 8th 1 3 4th 4th −2
2016 Germany Olympic qualification 1st place 3 2 3 5 0 +2
2016 Team Europe World cup 2nd place 6th 2 0 2 0 +2
2017 Germany WM 8th place 3 0 2 2 2 ± 0
2018 Germany WM 11th place 7th 2 7th 9 16 +2
2019 Germany WM 8th place 8th 5 3 8th 0 −1
Juniors overall 27 8th 21st 29 60 −8
Men overall 42 11 23 34 24 ± 0

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

Commons : Leon Draisaitl  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Adrian Bohrdt: With "Gretzky like numbers" in the NHL. spox.com, accessed May 1, 2013 .
  2. ^ CHL Import Draft. (No longer available online.) Chl.ca, archived from the original on July 1, 2011 ; Retrieved May 1, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chl.ca
  3. ↑ CHL import draft: Leon Draisaitl selected in second place. eishockeynews.de, accessed on May 1, 2013 .
  4. ^ A b Brian Fogarty: Beyond Tomorrow: Draisaitl makes a solid first impression. hockeysfuture.com, accessed May 1, 2013 .
  5. ^ Prince Albert, Red Deer to play tiebreaker to determine last playoff spot in WHL. nhl.com, accessed March 20, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Raiders in playoffs after downing the Rebels 5-3. globalnews.ca, accessed March 20, 2014 .
  7. ^ WHL Top Scorers. (No longer available online.) Whl.ca, archived from the original on March 20, 2014 ; accessed on March 20, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / whl.ca
  8. ^ Draisaitl Ranked 2nd, Gardiner 40th, by NHL CSS. raiderhockey.com, accessed March 20, 2014 .
  9. ↑ NHL CSS 2014 N. American skaters midterm rankings. nhl.com, accessed March 20, 2014 .
  10. ↑ Leon Draisaitl receives professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers. eishockey-24.de, archived from the original on August 14, 2014 ; accessed on August 11, 2014 .
  11. ↑ Edmonton Oilers draft pick Leon Draisaitl wants to play in the NHL 'as soon as possible'. edmontonsun.com, accessed October 25, 2014 .
  12. ^ Leon Draisaitl will start the season centering the second line for Edmonton, according to the Oilers web site. thescore.com, accessed October 25, 2014 .
  13. ↑ Oilers teammates excited to see center Leon Draisaitl get his first NHL goal. edmontonsun.com, accessed October 25, 2014 .
  14. ↑ Derek Van Diest: Oilers send center Draisaitl back to junior hockey ( English ) NHL.com. January 4, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ Rockets Acquire Draisaitl; Oilers Pick to Play Wednesday ( English ) Kelowna Rockets. January 6, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ NHL.com Staff: Oilers assign Draisaitl to AHL, set roster at 23 players. NHL.com, October 5, 2015, accessed October 6, 2015 .
  17. ↑ Leon Draisaitl fires Oilers' winning goal vs. Canadiens in season debut. CBC , October 30, 2015, accessed October 30, 2015 .
  18. ^ Adam Gretz: Leon Draisaitl emerging as star for Oilers in Connor McDavid's absence. cbssports.com, November 21, 2015, accessed December 18, 2015 .
  19. ↑ Jonathan Willis: How Leon Draisaitl is filling in for Connor McDavid. sportsnet.ca, November 19, 2015, accessed December 18, 2015 .
  20. ↑ Kevin Allen: Five reasons why Edmonton Oilers could be playoff worthy. usatoday.com, December 12, 2015, accessed December 18, 2015 .
  21. ↑ Draisaitl's Assist Gala - Kane draws level with Crosby. kicker.de, December 12, 2015, accessed on December 18, 2015 .
  22. ↑ Nicholas Goss: Leon Draisaitl Now Key To Oilers' Offense In Connor McDavid's Absence. nesn.com, December 14, 2015, accessed December 18, 2015 .
  23. ↑ Leon Draisaitl delights the Oilers. sportschau.de, December 16, 2015, accessed on December 18, 2015 .
  24. ↑ Bernd Schwickerath: Ice hockey professional Draisaitl: The return of the deported. In: Spiegel-Online. November 19, 2015, accessed December 18, 2015 .
  25. ↑ Maximilian Rau: Draisaitl pushes the playoff with a hat trick. In: Spiegel-Online. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017 .
  26. ^ Oilers sign Leon Draisaitl to contract extension. nhl.com, August 16, 2017, accessed on August 16, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Heiko Oldbod: Successor of the extra class. In: Spiegel-Online. January 26, 2019, accessed January 27, 2019 .
  28. ^ As the first German: NHL star Draisaitl awarded as MVP. September 22, 2020, accessed September 22, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Jörg Jakob: Sportsman of the year 2020: Draisaitl, FC Bayern and again Mihambo. In: kicker.de. December 20, 2020, accessed December 20, 2020 .
  30. ↑ Game Summary RUS-GER April 14, 2012. iihf.com, accessed on January 9, 2014 .
  31. ↑ Game Summary SUI-GER April 17, 2012. iihf.com, accessed on January 9, 2014 .
  32. ↑ U20 World Cup: Draisaitl blocked for one game. zeit.de, accessed on January 9, 2014 .
  33. ↑ Game Summary GER-NOR January 2, 2014. iihf.com, accessed on January 9, 2014 .
  34. ↑ Player Statistics Team Germany. iihf.com, accessed January 9, 2014 .
  35. ↑ John Sanful: Draisaitl delivers in Minsk. Germany's young charge making a difference. iihf.com, accessed May 13, 2014 .
  36. ↑ Game Summary KAZ - GER 1 - 2. iihf.com, accessed on May 13, 2014 .
  37. ↑ Tim Daniels: Leon Draisaitl Drafted by Edmonton Oilers. In: bleacherreport.com. June 27, 2014, accessed on September 21, 2020 .
  38. ^ Prince Albert Raiders - Roster - 2014 WHL Playoffs. In: raiderhockey.com. 2014, accessed on September 21, 2020 .
  39. ↑ Player profile (October 2014) at eliteprospects.com ( Memento from October 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  40. ↑ Leon Draisaitl wins the pass competition. Retrieved May 29, 2019 .
  41. ↑ Chris Wescott: DRAFT WATCH | Leon Draisaitl. oilers.nhl.com, accessed May 13, 2014 .
Edmonton Oilers logo
Squad of the Edmonton Oilers in the season 2019/20
personal data
SURNAME Draisaitl, Leon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH October 27, 1995
PLACE OF BIRTH Cologne