Edmonton Oilers striker is expected in Germany on Saturday morning / “Looking forward to the World Cup at home”
It's official: NHL star Leon Draisaitl will strengthen the German national team at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in his own country. On Thursday evening, the final organizational details were finalized with the Edmonton Oilers, the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) and Draisaitl fixed it himself. Accordingly, the 21-year-old attacker is expected in Germany on Saturday morning.
“We are very pleased that it worked out so quickly. After leaving the Oilers, Leon immediately signaled that he really wanted to play for Germany,” said national coach Marco Sturm.
“I'm obviously still very disappointed about the playoff exit at the moment,” said Draisaitl after his Oilers' 1-2 loss in game seven against the Anaheim Ducks. However, the Cologne native looked straight ahead: “I have always followed the World Cup with one eye and am now happy to be able to support the team in my home country.”