The NHL is back and goes into a special season. For Leon Draisaitl, the Stanley Cup dream is finally to come true with the Oilers. For the first time in years, it is not just about these trophy. A career highlight is waiting before the play-offs.
For Leon Draisaitl, the season begins with two dreams. After the bitter bankruptcies in the Stanley Cup finals of the past two years against the Florida Panthers, his name should finally be engraved in the legendary trophy at the end of this season-and after a long Olympic tournament with the German national team.
Because for the first time in his career as an ice hockey professional, the attacker of the Edmonton Oilers can take part in the Winter Olympics in Italy in February. “I’m particularly looking forward to it,” emphasized Draisaitl before the start. Participation is one of the special moments that you can experience as a athlete.
In contrast to 2022 in Beijing and 2018 in Pyeongchang, the National Hockey League for Olympia in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo interrupts their season and releases the best ice hockey professionals in the league. “Of course it is a topic of conversation, no question,” said Draisaitl from the Oilers cabin. “We will have boys who are definitely there and some who definitely have a chance.”
Canada does not doubt gold
There is no doubt about the gold medal for Canada in Edmonton, said Draisaitl – however, all national teams are represented with the stars from the NHL. And Germany doesn’t have to hide there either. The NHL season, which begins on Wednesday night with the duel of the defending champion Florida Panthers with the Chicago Blackhawks around Lukas Reichel, becomes a prelude to the Olympics.
Draisaitl, currently the best paid ice hockey professional in the world, is without a doubt the best player in Germany. However, he is by no means the only one with a German passport that embodies world class. Moritz Seider from the Detroit Red Wings is one of the best defenders of the NHL.
Tim Stützle is a leading figure at the Ottawa Senators. Just a few months ago, JJ Peterka signed a five-year contract worth $ 38.5 million (around 32.8 million euros) at Utah Mammoth-combined with the expectation to improve his 68 scorer points from last season at the Buffalo Sabres.
Reichel from the Blackhawks, goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer from the Seattle Kraken and of course Nico Sturm are hot for the Olympic participation. He has returned to the Minnesota Wild and has become the most important players in the area of responsibility of national coach Harold Kreis since his national team debut at the 2023 World Cup. In contrast to Draisaitl, he has already won the Stanley Cup. Before the move back to Minnesota, Sturm played for the Panthers, and in 2022 he also won the trophy as a professional of the Colorado Avalanche.
There are also young NHL aspirants like Josh Samanski, who, like Draisaitl, is under contract with the Oilers and at least convinced his compatriot of his skills in the season preparation. “The Sammy is really, very good,” said Draisaitl. He does not know whether the 23-year-old from Erding would make the leap into the NHL squad, but “I think he has opened his eyes to be there at some point and play in the NHL”-and possibly also for Germany in Italy.
Sturm starts in the first NHL season as a head coach
Without a single professional from NHL, Germany won silver in South Korea in 2018 in South Korea, led by national coach Marco Sturm. He said goodbye to pursue his own dream as a assistant coach in the NHL and recommend a role as a chief coach. Sturm’s hopes fulfilled themselves before the start of the season: he is responsible for the Boston Bruins, for which he once scored goals as a striker and promoted the German record holder.
This is “outstanding for German ice hockey” and a very fine task for “Sturmi,” said Draisaitl, who has long since replaced Sturm as a German record goal scorer in the NHL. He can expand his currently 399 goals for the first time on the German night on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
DPA/STEP
