He arrived as a lanky German kid with great hair, who had the courage to leave the Rhineland for frosty Prince Albert, Sask., at just 16 years old. Now, Draisaitl is poised to become the 20th\u00a0European-trained player to scale four figures, and the 21st fastest player in NHL history.<\/p>\n
He looked like a nice player, sure. But nobody saw\u00a0this\u00a0coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I saw him? The very first training camp? No, I didn’t see a 1,000 point player,\u201d said Todd McLellan, who arrived as head coach in Draisaitl\u2019s second pro season in 2015. \u201cHe just hadn’t got his body figured out yet. He was carrying a big frame and had to get stronger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I really, really knew was that playoff run (in 2017). We went two rounds and went to Game 7 against Anaheim, and he, he really took the game over then.\u201d<\/p>\n
That spring was the first time we witnessed Draisaitl leapfrog Connor McDavid as Edmonton\u2019s best player over a long stretch of important games. Anaheim, with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, simply couldn\u2019t handle him.<\/p>\n
Now, Draisaitl will never be viewed as a better overall player than McDavid. Nor will anyone in this generation of NHLers, except perhaps Sidney Crosby. But anyone who still subscribes to the theory that Draisaitl is some sidekick, or somehow is riding McDavid\u2019s coattails to success, merely advertises the fact that their bedtime comes before the Western games drop a puck.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watch him play, and most nights he\u2019s noticeable of course, but you look at the score sheet and he\u2019s got a goal and two assists,\u201d said Minnesota\u2019s Nico Sturm, a fellow German who plays for the Minnesota Wild. \u201cThe best players in the world, that\u2019s what they do: they always find a way to contribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a time when people said, \u2018Yeah, he\u2019s just feeding off of Connor.\u2019 But he\u2019s become the prototype centre: big, strong, good at draws, lethal shot\u2026 Probably the best passer in the league, especially on his backhand. The way he shields the puck \u2014\u00a0when he puts his arm out, it\u2019s very, very hard to get the puck.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think of the prototype No. 1 centre? That\u2019s what he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elegance of Draisaitl\u2019s game recalls the great Jean Beliveau. A tall, strong, left-shot centreman who can pass and shoot at equal levels of greatness. But Beliveau, they say, didn\u2019t have the mean streak that playoff Draisaitl conjures up. He didn\u2019t bull through players to score goals in traffic, or answer a slash with a slash, usually raising the ante somewhat.<\/p>\n
That was Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard\u2019s forte, the historians say, and though Draisaitl doesn\u2019t drop \u2018em and slug it out the way the Rocket once did, he gives back twice what he receives. It hurts to play against Draisaitl, and not just in your plus-minus.<\/p>\n
Tuesday in Pittsburgh (Sportsnet, 7:30 p.m. ET \/ 5:30 p.m. MT), after a pointless Sunday in Montreal, the Oilers bench will likely spill over in\u00a0congratulations\u00a0of their alternate captain at some point during the evening. That Stuart Skinner is expected to be in goal for the Penguins just thickens the soup that much more.<\/p>\n
One thousand points in 824 games. Four hundred and 16 goals, 583 assists so far.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a 1.21 points per game pace that only some of the most elite former Oilers have attained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly something that I never thought would be possible. Something that was only, truly, a dream,\u201d said Draisaitl, who is still only 30. \u201cTo be closing in on (1,000) \u2026 it\u2019s something that\u2019s hard to explain. There are a lot of people who help along the way. A lot of people who understand who you are, and want the best for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like Alphonso Davies, the Edmonton-raised left-back who has become a megastar in Germany playing for Bayern Munich, Draisaitl \u2014 dubbed the Deutchland Dangler \u2014\u00a0has come from a non-traditional hockey country and become a superstar in our game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s our guy,\u201d said Detroit\u2019s German defenceman, Moritz Seider. \u201cHe’s the one. He’s a bright star, just shining in the spotlight as he should. As he deserves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re proud of that, how much of an impact he has on a daily basis. It\u2019s not like he just shows up here and there. He shows up every single game. That’s most remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have a ton of stars outside of soccer,\u201d added Sturm. \u201cSo it\u2019s good to have someone who people recognize. Someone who has an impact beyond the game itself, and can act as a role model.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids like the stars \u2014\u00a0that\u2019s the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is, legitimately, the first world-class superstar hockey player Germany has ever produced.<\/p>\n
To wit: There have been 10, 50-goal, 100-point NHL seasons posted in the last decade. Draisaitl has four of those. (Auston Matthews has two, four players have one each.)<\/p>\n
Is the 50-goal, 100-point player the best player there is? We\u2019re not sure of that, but it\u2019s an awfully strong place to start.<\/p>\n
![\"32](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/32-Thoughts-podcast-Elliotte-Friedman-Kyle-Bukauskas-640x360.jpg\")
32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n