National team: NHL star Leon Draisaitl strengthens the German selection

“It’s an honor for me” / “DEL Player of the Year” Patrick Reimer is also now in the squad

NHL star Leon Draisaitl from the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL) is strengthening the German national ice hockey team. The 20-year-old exceptional striker is also part of the 28-man squad that national coach Marco Sturm nominated for the two preparatory games in Latvia, as is the “DEL Player of the Year” Patrick Reimer (Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers). As part of the Euro Hockey Challenge, the German selection will meet on Friday, April 22.4nd. (18.30:23.4 p.m.) and Saturday, April 16rd. (1 p.m. / both games live on SPORTXNUMX) in Riga against the hosts.

“I am very happy to be part of the national team again. It's always an honor to be able to represent my country," said Draisaitl, who returned from North America last week and has been keeping himself fit in his hometown of Cologne since then. Draisaitl missed the playoffs with the Edmonton Oilers, as did Tobias Rieder (Arizona Coyotes). The attacker was still able to set a personal best: in 72 games for the Canadians, the center forward recorded 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) and became the Oilers' second-best scorer.

National coach Sturm can now rely on the services of “DEL Player of the Year” Patrick Reimer for phase 3 of preparation for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (May 6th - 22nd) in St. Petersburg. In 52 main round matches, the man from Nuremberg had 64 scorer points. Reimer scored 26 goals, which also secured him the top scorer crown, and was responsible for 38 assists (second place). With +16, the Mindelheim native also had the second-best plus-minus value of all DEL players.

“It is important that we have the majority of the squad together at this point in the preparation. This makes it easier for us to work in even more detail in many areas,” said Sturm. The national team will meet in Riga next Wednesday. Sturm: “These preparatory games have a special meaning for us, also with a view to qualifying for the Olympics. We can now get used to the local conditions. The national team will contest its qualifying tournament for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (South Korea) from September 1st to 4th, 2016, also in the Latvian capital.

Draisaitl, Rieder and Co. will be on the ice together for the first time in Oberhausen and will face the Germans Fans present. On April 29.4th (20 p.m.) and April 30 (19.30:XNUMX p.m.) the German selection will meet Belarus in the König-Pilsener-ARENA, also their group opponents at the World Cup. Whether Justin Krueger can also be there will be decided in the coming days. The defender of the newly crowned Swiss champions SC Bern is still suffering from an injury. A decision about participation will be made at short notice.

Managerial staff