Waited enough – for John Peterka it's time for the day to finally come. “You long for it now,” says the 18-year-old shortly before NHL draft on October 6th, which promises something historical. For the first time, three top German talents could be drawn in the first round. The Munich Peterka is one of them. “Of course I hope it works,” says the U20 national player, referring to the chance of ending up among the 31 best young talent players in the world in his year, “but if it doesn’t, then it’s not a bad thing.”
Despite all the hype, the annual talent draw is only a snapshot; who will become an NHL player will only be decided afterwards. “It depends on how you develop afterwards,” emphasizes Peterka. But his goal is crystal clear. “I ultimately want to play in the NHL, and the draft is just another step.” A step that Peterka is looking forward to - even though the big show event in Montreal in the summer was canceled and is now being replaced by an online event.
The striker had contact with almost every NHL team, as he reported. There is no such thing as a wish, but he would certainly be particularly happy if it ended up being the Chicago Blackhawks - the team he raved about as a child - with Patrick Kane, the player he admired. Peterka will experience all of this in Salzburg in his shared apartment with Justin Schütz. Both are currently from EHC Red Bull München to the EC Red Bull Salzburg loaned out to get match practice while the season doesn't start in the PENNY DEL. For Peterka, the season in Salzburg started “great,” as he himself says. With two goals and an assist in the first two games (6:1 against Villach/5:1 against Bratislava) that was indeed the case.
Peterka also knows that he is doing much better in this complicated year than many other young players. He has the opportunity to train and play in Salzburg almost continuously Ice Age provided and also otherwise ideal training opportunities. “I've improved in every way,” he says, with a year of pro experience under his belt and a summer of bulking up in the weight room as he further refined his skating and technique. “I,” adds Peterka quite confidently, “have become faster and more stable in the corners.”
He - like Tim Stützle and Lukas Reichel - already attracted attention enough last season and also made people sit up and take notice at the U20 World Cup in the Czech Republic. This didn't go unnoticed by the scouts from North America and so Peterka's stock, like those of his U20 colleagues, rose noticeably. And it didn't hurt at all that he scored two goals for the team in July DEB again did some good self-promotion in three test matches against the Swiss U20. This one overall Peterka wants to continue on a positive path. But he hasn't decided yet whether that will be in North America soon. “I’ll leave it open.”
Photos: Jan-Malte Diekmann