The greatest German hockey player of all time, this film documents the entirety of Leon Draisaitl's 55 goal, 55 assist, 2021-2022 campaign.
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Draisaitl is a perfectionist at his core. He's the league's premiere power forward, and while he doesn't make a habit of dishing out board-shaking hits, they are in his repertoire when necessary. Everything in its place.
With the puck on his stick, he's immovable; without the puck, he's immovable too. He uses his size and an incredible amount of raw strength to hold off opposing players and create time and space to make plays. His passing, particularly on the backhand, is oftentimes Gretzky-esque. He anticipates, and recognizes seams before they open.
On the power play, he likes to set up shop on the faceoff circles to the goalie's left. His one-timer is as unique as it is effective. He rarely winds up for a full slap shot, but instead lowers his bottom hand only 6-8 inches down his stick, improving accuracy without sacrificing power. This is only possible, again, due to strength.
Defensively too, Leon shines. He's a 200 foot player who skates hard on the backcheck, intercepting passes and sealing off lanes with ease. He kills penalties, and his active stick has made him the designated forward when his team is down 5 on 3, a rarity for premiere offensive players.
Career wise, there's no better analogue than Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. Like Malkin with Sidney Crosby in prior years, Draisaitl goes long stretches as the best player in the game, but is sometimes underrated in contrast to his higher-profile Canadian teammate, Connor McDavid. But Draisaitl is not a product of McDavid's brilliance. For all he does in all three zones, he is a legitimate, perennial contender for the title of 'world's best,' and looks poised to continue that trend well into the future. It's only a matter of time before he takes the Stanley Cup home with him to Cologne.
00:00 Breakaways
01:17 A Playmaker First
04:47 Hits
06:35 In His Office
09:41 The Creativity of Drai
13:45 Defence & Takeaways
16:55 Shooting From Everywhere
19:05 Preternatural Passing
20:59 German Engineering