Throughout his NHL career, Leon Draisaitl has been in the shadow of Connor McDavid. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as they make the best dynamic duo in the NHL.
However, many hockey fans have stated that Draisaitl is a “McDavid merchant” and would never be able to dominate on his own. Well, the NHL superstar has a chance to prove it at the 2026 Olympics. Draisaitl is the captain for Team Germany and hopes to make his country proud.
The shadow of McDavid
Obviously, McDavid has always been the centre of attention in Edmonton. He was drafted first overall, is the current captain of the team, and is representing Team Canada. As important as he is to the Oilers, there is no doubt that Draisaitl is just as important. Draisaitl was drafted third overall and took a little longer to become an NHL star. Draisaitl struggled in his rookie NHL season and needed an extra year to develop. Once the 2015–16 season hit, Draisaitl became one of the great forwards alongside McDavid.
Out of the two Oilers superstars, McDavid is the one who is constantly on the highlight reel. His unbelievable speed and skill make him the most dynamic player in the world. He scores a highlight reel goal nearly once a week, which makes it difficult for anyone else on the team to gain recognition. Apart from McDavid’s flashy plays, Draisaitl has always had him beat in the goal scoring category. This is the part of his game that stands out.
Draisaitl emerged as one of the top superstars in the NHL during the 2018–19 season. Here, he hit the 50-goal plateau for the first time in his career and scored over one hundred points. The following season, Draisaitl carried that momentum and had the most individually memorable year. He won three NHL awards: the Art Ross, Hart Memorial, and Ted Lindsay trophies. Draisaitl finally gained some individual recognition that year and has since been just as significant to the Oilers success.
Playing for Team Germany
Draisaitl is lucky enough to have represented Germany multiple times on an international stage. He played in a couple of World Junior Championships and multiple World Championships. Draisaitl scored the same number of points in the 2013 and 2014 World Junior tournaments, posting two goals and six points in six games. Fellow teammates Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov also played in the 2013 tournament, representing Canada and Russia.
Draisaitl has played in five World Championship tournaments, where he was always the primary scorer for the team. These appearances obviously came earlier in his career, as he is now making deep runs in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His top performances at the World Championship came in the 2018 and 2019 tournaments. He was a point per game in each and was the team’s leading scorer.
Going into the Olympics, all eyes are on Draisaitl for Germany. He carried the country flag out at the Olympic Opening Ceremony and has been named captain of the men’s hockey team. Draisaitl will have his hands full at the tournament as the Germans face some tough opponents. In the preliminary round, they face Denmark, Latvia, and the USA. Denmark should be an easier opponent, but Latvia and the USA will be tough competition.
A chance to stand out
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games will be Draisaitl’s first time playing outside of the NHL since the 2019 World Championship. It is truly a huge honour for him, as he is one of the best players in the NHL and certainly deserves this chance. His German team may be one of the top underdogs in the tournament. They actually have some top NHL talent and have decent depth. Captain Draisaitl will have the clear opportunity to lead and have the spotlight solely on him.
Team Germany has some NHL faces on their team, including:
- Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
- JJ Peterka (UTA)
- Lukas Reichel (VAN)
- Josh Samanski (EDM)
- Nico Sturm (MIN)
- Tim Stutzle (OTT)
- Moritz Seider (DET)
- Philipp Grubauer (SEA)
Having eight NHLers on the roster may give them a chance to pull off some upsets. They also have some solid former NHL talent in Tobias Rieder and Dominik Kahun. It will be interesting to see how the Germans decide to deploy the NHL talent in their lineup. Should they run a stacked line of Draisaitl, Stutzle, and Peterka? Or should they spread them out and give each line a high offensive threat?
Draisaitl will get top-line ice time in every situation. He will run the first line, be on the first power play unit, and potentially assist in killing penalties. The power play is where Draisaitl is known to do some serious damage. He has his signature shot from the corner that no one else can replicate. Will playmakers like Stutzle and Reichel be capable of setting him up? Be sure to tune into Germany’s first game on Thursday against Denmark at 1:00 pm MST.
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