Leon Draisaitl
| Leon Draisaitl | |
|---|---|
 at the 2014 Edmonton Oilers training camp | |
| Born | October 27, 1995 Cologne, Germany |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Edmonton Oilers Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| National team |  Germany |
| NHL Draft | 3rd overall, 2014 Edmonton Oilers |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
Leon Draisaitl (born October 27, 1995) is a German ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League and a prospect for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Draisaitl grew up playing hockey in Germany until he was selected second overall in the 2012 CHL Import Draft by the Raiders. After two seasons in the WHL, he was selected third overall by the Oilers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Draisaitl is the son of former German national team player Peter Draisaitl, who represented Germany at World Championships, World Cup and at the 1988, 1992 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games and played 146 games for the country.[1][2]
Playing career
Before moving to North America to continue his playing career, Draisaitl spent the 2011–12 season in the German Development League (DNL) with the Jungadler Mannheim U18 team, leading his team to capture the DNL Championship. He was recognized for his outstanding performance by being named the DNL Player of the Year.
Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl was drafted third overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, making him the highest drafted German-trained player in NHL history (Dany Heatley, who was selected second overall in 2000, was born in Germany but raised in Canada).[3]
On August 12, 2014, the Oilers signed Draisaitl to a three-year entry level contract.[4] After making the Oilers team out of training camp, Draisaitl made his NHL debut on October 9, 2014 against the Calgary Flames. He would score his first NHL goal against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Anton Khudobin on October 24, 2014. Draisaitl would appear in 37 games for the Oilers during the 2014–15 season, recording two goals and seven assists, before being sent back to the Prince Albert Raiders. The move was done in part to prevent Draisaitl's contract from moving one year closer to free agency (he would have been counted if he was on the team's roster after 40 games). The Raiders were expected to trade Draisaitl to the Kelowna Rockets, though it was not expected to happen until the conclusion of the 2015 World Junior Championships, which concluded on January 5.[5]
International play
Draisaitl represents Germany internationally. He played in the World Junior Championships in 2013 and 2014. He served as the German team captain at the 2014 tournament. He was ejected from a round-robin game against the American team after a hit from behind and was later assessed a one game suspension.[6]
Draisaitl was named to the Germany men's national ice hockey team for competition at the 2014 IIHF World Championship.[7]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Jungadler Mannheim U18 | DNL | 35 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 39 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 64 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 64 | 38 | 67 | 105 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 37 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 37 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Germany | WHC17 | 9th | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Germany | WJC18 | 6th | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Germany | WJC18 | 8th | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2013 | Germany | WJC | 9th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Germany | WJC | 9th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 52 | |
| 2014 | Germany | WC | 14th | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 28 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 60 | ||||
| Senior totals | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| DNL Player of the Year | 2011–12 | [8] |
| WHL First All-Star Team (East) | 2013–14 | [9] |
References
- ↑ Edmonton Oilers select Leon Draisaitl, the “Deutschland Dangler”, third overall Edmonton Journal, published: 27 June 2014, accessed: 4 July 2014
- ↑ Eishockey-Talent Draisaitl: Mit Wucht auf die große Bühne (German) Der Spiegel, published: 28 June 2014, accessed: 4 July 2014
- ↑ Morreale, Mike G. (2014-06-27). "Hat trick of firsts highlights opening round of draft". NHL.com. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
- ↑ Oilers sign Draisaitl
- ↑ Van Diest, Derek (2015-01-04). "Oilers send center Draisaitl back to junior hockey". NHL.com. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
- ↑ "Drasaitl suspended". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
- ↑ "Roster forming - 2014 WM - International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF". iihfworlds2014.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- ↑ "Leon Draisaitl profile - Леон Драйзайтл Профиль - Eurohockey.com". eurohockey.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- ↑ WHL Network - WHL Announces All-Stars & Awards
External links
- Leon Draisaitl's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Leon Draisaitl's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Darnell Nurse |
Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick 2014 |
Succeeded by TBD |