After a long period of uncertainty and discussions about how the season would proceed, the NHL finally started playing on January 13th. This year players will experience the best hockey league in the world in an unusual format, as to avoid traveling across the continent, teams have been divided into four new divisions depending on their region. The teams only play games within their divisions; teams sometimes meet up to ten times.
From a German perspective, January was pretty eventful. Leon Draisaitl started where he left off last season. Debutant Tim Stützle made an immediate impression, Dominik Kahun scored a special goal and Philipp Grubauer has been hard to beat so far. Nico Sturm has fought for a permanent place, which Marc Michaelis is still fighting for. Thomas Greiss is doing his best to ease the transition in Detroit with solid performances.
The NHL January from a German perspective at a glance:
Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
Leon Draisaitl is with the Edmonton Oilers in the North Division with all Canadian teams. Although the Oilers have had a somewhat bumpy start so far, the Cologne native has already shone with six goals and 15 assists and is in second place on the NHL scorers list behind his teammate Connor McDavid. In the last game of the month, Draisaitl produced another milestone with six assists in an 8:5 win against the Ottawa Senators. He is only the fourth player in Oilers history to achieve this. The Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner is well on his way to another outstanding individual season. In addition, the 2020 Sportsman of the Year has a strong score of +10 after eleven matches.
Philipp Grubauer (Colorado Avalanche)
The Rosenheim native is playing in the West Division with his Colorado Avalanche this season. With six wins from ten games, the team is currently in second place in the division, with Philipp Grubauer being partly responsible for all of the victories. The Avalanche regular goalie left the ice winning in six of his eight starts. So far, Grubauer has never had to reach behind himself more than three times and has an excellent performance Fangrate of 93 percent. Last but not least, this is also due to the two shutouts he recorded against the St. Louis Blues and the San José Sharks. Grubauer is currently one of the top goalkeepers of the current NHL season.
Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators)
Tim Stützle is without a doubt one of the most interesting young players this season. The 19-year-old's NHL career began remarkably with the Ottawa Senators, but not without obstacles. On his birthday, Stützle made his debut in the second row alongside veterans Evgeni Dadonov and Derek Stepan. In his second game, he scored his first NHL goal in spectacular fashion with a direct shot. However, he then missed three games due to a minor injury. In the first duel with Leon Draisaitl and Dominik Kahun (5:8), he scored his second goal, which perhaps made up for the defeat a little. The young German has even impressed Connor McDavid. "He's a great player. It was cool to see how he played at the U20 World Cup and we'll see what he will achieve in the NHL."
Dominik Kahun (Edmonton Oilers)
With the Edmonton Oilers, Dominik Kahun can look forward to being reunited with his friend Leon Draisaitl this season. Years ago, both of them formed a forward line together for the Mannheim Young Eagles and they also played side by side on the national team from time to time. In January, Kahun scored two goals and an assist. It took him a few tries to get the goals, but he was recently successful in both the 4:3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the 8:5 against the Ottawa Senators. The goal against the Senators led by Tim Stützle after eight seconds of play was also the fastest goal in Oilers history. Kahun shares this record with NHL icon Wayne Gretzky, who achieved this in 1983.
Thomas Greiss (Detroit Red Wings)
After five successful years with the New York Islanders, Thomas Greiss has been guarding the goal of the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division since this season and is supposed to provide stability in the upheaval of the Original Six team. However, after seven games, the Füssen player is still waiting for the first win for the team from Michigan. So far, Greiss has an average goals conceded of 3,03 per game and one Fangrate of 89,7 percent. The 35-year-old hopes to soon build on the strong performances that earned him a lot of recognition at the Islanders.
Tobias Rieder (Buffalo Sabres)
In the summer after the NHL restart, Tobias Rieder did the best job of self-promotion for the Calgary Flames with strong play-offs and a few shorthanded goals and received a new contract on the first day of the transfer period. The Landshuter now plays for the Buffalo Sabers under head coach Ralph Krueger and has already scored three goals for the team from the East Division in January. The 28-year-old has quickly established himself and is currently forming a more defensively oriented forward line with Kyle Okposo and Cody Eakin.
Nico Sturm (Minnesota Wild)
The Augsburg native is entering his first full NHL season with the Minnesota Wild from the West Division. With an average ice time of just under ten minutes, Sturm has fought for a regular place, but he has not yet scored any points. But his performance is also measured more by his defensive work. In the first meeting with the Anaheim Ducks there wasn't much left to score, Sturm failed with a total of six shots against the outstanding American John Gibson, who scored a shutout in this game.
Marc Michaelis (Vancouver Canucks)
Marc Michaelis is currently in the so-called taxi squad of the Vancouver Canucks, is with the team, is training with them and could be used at any time. The Taxi Squad concept is due to the Corona pandemic and allows every team in this NHL season to have reserve players ready for action should there be short-term absences or injuries. These players then do not have to be flown in and complete a multi-day quarantine. “Here in Vancouver I am experiencing for the first time how different the game in the NHL is. Every loss of a disc can lead to a great opportunity and the speed is enormous.”
Lean Bergmann (San Jose Sharks/San Jose Barracuda)
Like Marc Michaelis, Lean Bergmann was there until the NHL camps began Adler Mannheim awarded and played at Deutschland Cup also for the national team. The San Jose Sharks didn't quite have enough to make the squad; Bergmann now wants to draw attention to himself in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. Manuel Wiederer is also under contract there.
Tom Kühnhackl (not yet under contract)
After a long-term shoulder injury, Tom Kühnhackl is on his way back to the NHL. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is currently with the New York Islanders' AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and is hoping for a chance to play soon. Previously, the Islanders had individual training with ex-national player Dennis Seidenberg, who looks after the convalescents in New York.