Stuetzle, Draisaitl make it a proud night for Germany

There will be some blearyeyed hockey fans waking up in Germany to start their Monday morning.

While fans in Ottawa thought they were staying up late Sunday to watch the Senators open their two-game series against the Edmonton Oilers, think of the good people in the country where Tim Stuetzle and Leon Draisaitl grew up, people who had to get up in the middle of the night to watch them face off live against each other.

By the time they dropped the puck, it was just after 3 a.m. in Germany. Yet nobody should be surprised if some people were wide awake because it was the first time in the 19-year-old Stuetzle's career that he was on the same ice with Draisaitl, the Oilers' star.

Draisaitl, 25, was the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 by the Oilers, while Stuetzle also went third overall to the Senators in October. Many Germans were awaiting this one with anticipation.

“What Draisaitl has done for German hockey, just being the MVP in the best league in the world, has people here excited, and now you've got Stuetzle being drafted by Ottawa,” Peter Lee, general manager of Berlin Eisbaren, in the DEL, said Sunday. “It's pretty amazing.

“(Draisaitl) came out of Cologne, but they both went through the same minor hockey system because Stuetzle wasn't far away. The only difference is Draisaitl played junior in Canada (in the Western Hockey League) and Stuetzle stayed here and played, but he played men's hockey, which helped him.”

One of the most prolific scorers in Ottawa 67's history, Lee — who was taken No. 12 overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1976 — had a long playing career in Germany and has been in Berlin since 1997. He has seen firsthand the development of hockey there and has a junior program with his organization.

Winger Lukas Reichel, in his second year in Berlin, was taken No. 17 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in last year's draft.

“Draisaitl opened the door because I think there were kids here that weren't far from playing but never really got a chance because people never really took German hockey serious,” said Lee. “All of a sudden, you see scouts at games, especially with Stuetzle and Lukas Reichel. People are more interested in the game.”

Lee said he stayed up to watch Stuetzle's debut with Ottawa on Jan. 15 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“You'd be surprised how many people did stay up to watch that game,” said Lee. “Every time anybody gets a point, it doesn't matter which German player it is, that makes the news here.”

A PIVOTAL POINT

Stuetzle suited up for his sixth game of the season Sunday, and as long as he's healthy he is scheduled to play his eighth on Thursday at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.

If that happens, the first year of his entry-level contract will officially kick in and won't slide, while the Senators will also lose a year of exemption on waivers. The belief is Stuetzle is here for the year, but that didn't stop coach D.J. Smith from being asked about where the youngster stands.

If general manager Pierre Dorion did decide to send Stuetzle back to Mannheim, there are no guarantees the DEL will get its season completed either with Germany in lockdown.