Hockey World
Raiders prospect will be NHL’s highest-drafted German player
Here’s what you should know about Prince Albert Raiders centre Leon Draisaitl with the Edmonton Oilers once again having their NHL entry draft table close to the stage with the other bottom-feeders at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Unless both players are gone by the time it’s their turn to pick on June 27, the Oilers will sing out the name of Draisaitl or Barrie Colts defenceman Aaron Ekblad.
It’s pronounced DrySightl.
He was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1995, when the entry draft was held at Rexall Place. The Oilers made one of their all-time bad picks, taking another Raiders centre, Steve Kelly, instead of winger Shane “Doan, Doan, Doan” as the fans chanted his name.
Draisaitl’s father, Peter, played with former Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger on the German national team.
One of his junior coaches is Dave Manson, who played 219 games in the bad Oilers days in the early 1990s, when Craig MacTavish and Kelly Buchberger were teammates.
Draisaitl’s current billet in Prince Albert is Carol Ring, who used to have a boarder named Mike Modano in 1988, when the 18-year-old centre was selected first overall.
Draisaitl will be the NHL draft’s highest-picked German-born player, regardless of whether the Oilers take him or not. Marcel Goc, at No. 20 in 2001, currently holds that distinction.
The s i x- f o o t- t w o , 209-pound Draisaitl or the six-foot-three, 207-pound Aaron Ekblad? Flip a coin. Either player could go No. 1 in the draft.
The Buffalo Sabres, who will have the best draft lottery odds, need a forward much more than a defenceman. Kingston Frontenacs centre Sam Bennett, who most scouts say plays like Doug Gilmour (181 pounds of whatever it takes to win), and the other Sam, Kootenay Ice centre Reinhart (who may be the smartest player in the draft), also won’t be around long.
The Oilers really like both Sams, too, but they are looking for size. Edmonton is missing a bigger centre, where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is sixfoot-one and 185 pounds and Sam Gagner is five-foot-11 and 202 pounds.
“It would be a huge honour to be with this organization. They’ve had tons of superstars … it would be the greatest thing ever,” said Draisaitl. “Yeah, I know how popular the Oilers are in Saskatchewan.”
Draisaitl, who could be playing for Germany in the men’s world championship at Minsk, Belarus, isn’t really fast, but that’s fine. The scouts all say the same thing: He gets from A to B just fine.
Centre Ron Francis, who was the fourth pick overall by the Hartford Whalers in 1981, was never fleet and he managed to score 1,798 NHL points and become a first-ballot Hall of Famer as one of the greatest passing centres ever.
The last time I looked, Los Angeles Kings centre Anze Kopitar wasn’t fast, either. Neither is Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks.
There’s no guarantee how Draisaitl will develop, but he’s got talent and size. He can really protect the puck and he can really pass it. Once the puck’s on his stick, he gets things done, having scored 104 points during the regular season.
“He likes to come down the right side and he’s got a great backhand … you should see his stick blade. It’s long and fat, like a paddle,” said one longtime NHL bird dog. “Really powerful, strong … when you get a piece of him, he keeps on going. He doesn’t get knocked off stride like a smaller centre.”
“When Draisaitl touches the puck, he’s scoping out the play. He loves passing. If they say he looks like Thornton … that’s not a bad comparison,” said another veteran NHL amateur scout. “To me, there’s only two guys in the Western (Hockey) League who physically could step into the NHL next year. That’s Draisaitl and (Jake) Virtanen in Calgary.
“Now whether they’re mentally strong enough, that’s another story.”
“Draisaitl sometimes looks like he’s cruising, but his topspeed is fine ... they said the same thing about Kopitar,” said a veteran NHL scout, who figures Draisaitl will grow into his body.
“Two hundred and twentyfive (pounds), I think he could carry that type of weight.”
Draisaitl laughs nervously when told scouts compare him to Thornton or Kopitar.
“Two unbelievable players. That’s pretty hard to say who I’d compare myself to,” he said.
Draisaitl said his 48-yearold dad, who coaches in the Czech Elite League, didn’t teach him a lot because he was born in 1995 and Peter didn’t play much after that.
“I’ve seen film of him, though. I’d say we’re alike in that I’m not the greatest skater and I have a good hockey IQ. That’s what I got from him,” Leon said.
“This is exciting for German hockey. We’ve never had a player rated this high,” said Buffalo defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, who is currently the best German-born NHLer, maybe the best-ever, with Uwe Krupp and Marco Sturm also in contention.
“I went in the fourth round and it was pretty surprising at the time.”
Manson knows what makes an NHLer.
“He’s a big train and he’s going to grow. He’s more suited for the pro level with his style of play,” Manson said. “Europeans have very good puck possession skills and Leon has that. With his skating, if you don’t have a good angle on him, he gets to where he wants to go.
“He’s a great kid, terrific character. He’s got stuff to learn about the game but we all do.”