The summer is flying by, and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is the hockey topic that’ll be kicking off August. Although there is an increasing bed of overage prospects of interest to be watching throughout Germany and Switzerland, here’s a little look at five of the most interesting first year eligible players of note in this region.
-
Carlos Händel - Defense - Last season: Malmö Redhawks (U17)
Utterly confident with or without the puck everywhere on the ice, Händel carries himself like a player who believes he can do what he wants and is good enough to find a solution for every situation he gets himself into. This isn’t always the case, of course, but he achieves it more often than not and with that, his approach finds him right smack dab in the middle of numerous offensive opportunities and traffic all over the ice throughout just about any game he plays. With a righty shot and an effectively nonchalant manner of gaining speed through repetitive crossovers with the puck on his blade, Händel has been playing with an effectiveness and involvement the past few years that the German prospect scene hasn’t, well, seen since <gulp> Mo Seider was this age.
Now, we’re not going to go that far as to start comparing the two, especially since Händel doesn’t bring the physical dimension we saw from Seider even as early as when he was 14 and playing against older competitors, but the stickwork is often impressive and Händel pushes the envelope with regularity. He’ll dance at the blueline, often under pressure, and he’ll do his tricks and take his steps in his own zone despite heavy opposition forechecking. There’s some sly dipsy doodling here and there, and the 170-pounder has no qualms about carrying the puck long distances to bring the danger from his zone to the opposition net. Notable is also the vision he possesses, which is of importance in light of how capable he is of creating time and space, so teammates are often open and he’s adept at finding them.
A cherry on top is that he loves firing away with the puck. He does so in a methodical manner with his head on a telescope, and the good old fashioned wrister is his weapon of choice. But it’s usually the right one. This is not to say he won’t unleash one-timers or really lean into a bullet when the chance presents itself, but he’s smart enough to have realized that the placement control he has with the wrister, often looking for tips and traffic, is often his best option.
Having just turned 17 in March, he’s been a mainstay for German selects over the past few seasons and his PPG pace at the D1A U18 Worlds was a key in seeing Germany gain promotion. A recent invitation to the U20 team’s summer camp is a good sign looking forward and it would seem all but official that he’ll be making the jump from Sweden to the QMJHL next season. There are still hiccups and kinks in his game and he’s still a bit of a lightweight, so steps need to be taken to get to the next level, but his riverboat gambler style and the opportunities it generates are worth the price of admission and have us very excited about what his draft year is going to look like. We’re tipping on it including an appearance at the WJC this winter.
CLIP #1
Händel, who seems to get to wear his beloved number 7 everywhere he plays, dekes an opponent near the blueline, walks on down the slot and deposits the puck in the far corner. And this is not a one-and-done type of play from him as he relishes the opportunity to make just these kinds of moves, at any level and against any competition he’s playing.
CLIP #2
The camera work is rough here, but this is a very stereotypical type of end-to-end rush we’ve come to see from Händel dozens of times. He really has no qualms in grabbing that puck in his zone and going for a stroll.
CLIP #3
The move here isn’t bad. We like to see it. He’s got his confidence and is self-assured with the puck. But by the time Händel cuts to the slot, there’s nothing but opposition jerseys there and he pays the price. The opponent then gets to rush in the other direction while he’s still got his back to the ice. These decision-related kinks will have to get ironed out along the way.
-
David Lewandowski - Center - Last season: Düsseldorf (DNL U20)
David Lewandowski has been a name we’ve been talking about and thus, heavily anticipating, for several years now. Although his performances, especially at the international level, has been inconsistent, his tool set has been undeniable to this point, having hit six feet in height at a relatively early stage and playing a big player’s game with a big player’s reach. His mitts are already of the silky variety and when he places his wares on display, things often get flashy. Strong first steps and, at times, exceptional vision allows him to find or create holes in the defense that many of his peers cannot while his propensity to shake and bake likely has him wanting to stake a claim to the title “Deutschland Dangler” once Leon Draisaitl hangs up his skates one day. For the time being, he’s the best combination of size and skill we’ve seen out of Germany for a few years now and when he’s on his game, it’s a beauty to watch.
Son of a Russian-born former pro of German descent, his father Eduard coached him this past season after having played pro hockey right on through the 22-23 season, where he skated for Krefeld of the DEL2 after having put up 12 points for the same in their DEL season the year before - as a 40-year-old. A long-time impact player in the DEL and member of the national team, the elder Lewandowski also spent seven seasons in the KHL before returning to lace his skates for Düsseldorf, where son David has been gaining his ice hockey education ever since. The combination of dad’s genes and coaching led to a fantastic 23-24 season as the youngster put up 16 goals and 53 points in 42 DNL games as an underager while also getting into 16 games for 3rd league Essen, for whom he put up 10 points and +6 rating. All around, very impressive stats at both levels and a strong showing against men for one of the 3rd league’s top clubs.
As promising and even daunting as that may all sound for a player who appears to have the kind of playmaking skills and requisite shot we’ve only really seen from other German players who are now donning NHL jerseys, Lewandowski’s game has shown plenty of warts to date. There are many times where he’ll be caught overhandling the puck, if not being downright inconsequential with it. His effort level has at times, allowed the word “lazy” to slip in as the preferred adjective and along the way, he’s shown fitness deficits. As an underager at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, he was completely overwhelmed. By the time the D1A U18 Worlds rolled around, he shot out of the gates with seven points and +4 in the first three games only to go scoreless and -2 in the final two games, in which Germany scored a total of 12 goals. There’s been a certain amount of inconsistency every step of the way and if we didn’t know better, it sometimes looks like he hasn’t gotten the memo that you can only go so far on talent alone.
All this means that this upcoming season will be pivotal in showing the hockey world that he’s more about all the real slick, pretty things he can do, and a lot less about the often maddening shifts in effort and results. He is signed to a DEL contract with a Düsseldorf team that has its own DNL club and affiliates in both the 2nd and 3rd leagues, so there’s no telling where exactly he’ll take the bulk of his shifts this year.
CLIP #1
Although not the top goal we’ve seen from Lewandowski (#15) in international play, one that lets you see how he can quickly make use of an imperfect pass and let it rip without overthinking things.
CLIP #2
In this clip, Lewandowski (#11) gains an assist on just the kind of bread-and-butter pass that comes so easily for him, showing that he has a good understanding of plays as they unfold.
CLIP #3
On the right circle during the power play, Lewandowski makes the cross-ice feed to his fave set-up man and then pounces on the return pass for a one-timer goal. If you think the cross-ice feed from Willhöft (#7) is every bit as nice, then make sure to keep reading this article.
CLIP #4
Things can get like this for the youngster. Lewandowski grabs the puck in his own zone and charges up the ice only to lose it somewhat haphazardly at the opposition blueline. It’s just the kind of thing we’ve come to see from him mixed in with his good stuff.
-
Florian Schenk - Center - Bern (U20 Elit and U17)
It’s been a long time coming, but just over the past few days it’s become official that forward Florian Schenk will be joining the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, who drafted him a good month ago in the CHL Import Draft. Having been seen as Switzerland’s top prospect for next summer’s entry draft, his jump will be a loss for Bern and its program. Not only was it thoroughly possible that Schenk would have seen some time in the NL, but the organization was surely hoping he’d not go the way of former native son Nico Hischier, who left the program to spend his draft year playing for the Halifax Mooseheads. This said, you can rest assured that the similarities between these two Bern-bred players pretty much begin and end right there.
For his part, Florian Schenk is a tall and somewhat heavy-footed forward who is still growing into his body. He does combine soft hands and a will to get things done in a fancy manner with a frame that, especially in Switzerland’s junior level, has allowed him to charge the net with reckless abandon. There, he spent last season putting up 25 points in 42 U20 league games, his 28 penalty minutes showing that he can get chippy in the process. Mind you, this made him the top U17 player in the league in just about every category except for goal-scoring, where he tied for 3rd with eight. His 26 points in 17 U17 league games as well as 17 points in 22 international contests for his nation at the U17 level tell a more in-depth story about where he’s been at as a go-to weapon up front. Yet at each step of the way, he’s been more of a playmaker than goal-scorer, an attest to his eye for finding teammates, usually in and around the goalmouth area. There’s ample skill as a point-producer here despite him not (yet) possessing a notable shot.
On the downside, his international viewings showed him to be an underdeveloped player with a number of holes in his three-zone play and, in general, lacking the speed and hop to press through or have much of an impact against some of the headier competition along the way. He’d just be a bit tentative here or there, or a step behind in certain situations. He looked reserved on the forecheck and had some problems in transition. There were times where the extra step just wasn’t there and he left him behind the competition, or at least not looking much different from the wider mass of his own team. This is not entirely unexpected from players playing junior hockey in countries like Switzerland and Germany, but indicative of some challenges he has ahead of him in the coming season. OHL action will surely demand of him that he show an upward trend in these areas.
CLIP #1
After forechecking, Schenk slyly picks up the opponent’s stick and gets an opportunity, only spoiled by an aggressive goaltender.
CLIP #2
Here’s the type of power move we saw coming from him throughout his junior play in Switzerland.
CLIP #3
This left-board, puck-carrying hiccup was one of many of this sort to be seen during his international play.
-
Dustin Willhöft - Winger - Last season: Mannheim (U20 DNL)
If you fancy little tykes who can deke and dish with the best of them, then you’re going to love Dustin Willhöft. Born in Estonia and having spent much of his life in Denmark, half German Willhöft used to drive over four hours back and forth from practice and games between his home in Denmark and Hamburg, Germany. A rambler in many ways, Willhöft also spent parts of three seasons playing for the Rögle’s U16 and U18 teams in Sweden before transferring to the Adler Mannheim program last season, where he proceeded to put up 37 points in 21 U20 DNL games as a 17-year-old. At this point in time, there’s no telling where he’ll be playing the upcoming season even if it would stand to reason that Mannheim brought him on board for a longer-term reason last winter.
One way or another, Willhöft is a quick player who appears to have the necessary skating skills to survive despite his size. At least it’s never really posed a problem thus far in his junior career. It’ll be an obstacle once he starts playing against men, but it has to be noted that he’s very adept at swerving his upper body while maintaining balance and even his speed in many situations on the ice. He’s also athletic and wary enough to hop around and move past defenders with the kind of hockey sense that baits the opposition into making the first move while defending him. He possesses notable agility and an extra gear, even if he isn’t pulling it out with every opportunity. Where it gets really interesting is in seeing how well his hands and mind keep up with his skating. Not only does he have great vision and accuracy as a passer, but he understands very well how to create time and space, both 5-on-5 and on the power play. There’s an innate ability to put pucks where he wants them and build in the kind of head and shoulder fakes that buy him the odd second here or there.
All this culminates in saying that he’s one of the undersized prospects out there we’re not really worried about. He’s here to produce offense and he is fully aware that his ability to do so and survive is pendent upon the athleticism, vision, and survival skills he has been showing for years now. When he does get into trouble it is not for a lack of effort. There’s only so much ice out there and his skating prowess and understanding of the game will also have him trying to overcompensate for other teammates, thus abandoning his position at times. And whereas we wouldn’t say he’s afraid to go into traffic, usually in the opposition zone, he’s not out there to commit suicide. He’ll assess the situation and avoid hot spots if the calculator in his head is telling him to do so. It’s worth pointing out that his ability to get pucks through traffic, indeed making passes of the cross-ice variety, also allows him to appear as though he’s avoiding high danger zones.
Interestingly, he’s the type of player where we’d have no doubts about his chances moving forward if he were three or four inches taller and 20 pounds heavier. The skills can be breathtaking. His mind is that of an on-ice chess master. He even keeps himself out of physical trouble. It’s all there except for the requisite size. He’s got a whole season to hopefully grow physically, but also erase any doubts scouts may have.
CLIP #1
This little skill play by Willhöft (#7) is indicative of what you’ll see from him game for game. This doesn’t happen every now and then, but rather on a daily basis. This is how he rolls. The move here is the key to buying the time necessary to gain this assist, as the defenseman was clearly thrown off by the play.
CLIP #2
And here we see the kind of assist that has been pushing off the size-related doubts, as Willhöft not only makes his way along the board against two defenders, but then stretches his body as needed to find a man in front who the opposition didn’t count on him finding.
CLIP #3
With Rögle in this scene, Willhöft (#17) puts in an incredibly strong individual effort here. He not only pokes the puck past an opponent in a position that should see him get bulldozed, but then manages to quickly regain his balance, put on the jets, and then snipe a shot from what looked like a hopeless angle. Just don’t tell him that.
CLIP #4
To begin, Willhöft finds himself in the lower corner of his own zone, which may have resulted from him having taken over the center position duties on this particular play (i.e., wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt), but then he gets into trouble real quick. After coughing up the puck, he gets it back and then tries a little chip pass to solve the situation in his own zone, which backfires. A not too untypical play for a skill player who isn’t used to going the safe route.
-
Jeremiah Mundy - Left wing - Last season: Rapperswil-Jona (U20 Elite and U17)
Half Canadian, the Swiss winger from St. Gallen will be 17-years old right on up through February, but already checks in at 6’ 2” and 196 pounds. He’s a player who loves to drive to the net, with and without the puck, and shows no fear in dragging pucks out of corners and seeing just how far he can go until he’s slamming the biscuit into the opposition goal. Featuring straight line speed, his leg strength is still clearly a work in progress and there have been plenty of times the past few years where he’s made a gangly, uncoordinated impression. Alas, he’s been able to solve more and more situations with strong skating techniques and his stickhandling has improved in leaps and bounds over the past two seasons to the point where it’s a clear strength in his tool kit.
Internationally, Mundy has been suiting up for Swiss U16 and U17 sides and should be a top nine winger at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer. This said, he went scoreless in six U20 Elite league contests last winter while putting up 29 goals and 51 points in 42 U17 league games for Rapperswil-Jona, meaning he was tied for first in goal-scoring league wide. Like many players his age, there are phases where he lacks concentration or appears to be so busy preparing for the next course of action that he fails to receive a simple pass. There are holes in his game, and he can have some shifts that beg for more effort. But we’re hard-pressed to find any games where he’s just a no-show. He’ll be charging to the net all the time and is fantastic at getting his stick on pucks in the slot. We’ve seen him on the face-off circle and as the goal-front presence on the power play, so he can take on varying roles.
In order for Mundy to remain a draft topic right on through to next summer, we’re going to need to see more consistency and the ability to push his way through older competition. He’s got the size, and his hands are really above average in comparison to the competition in Switzerland. Again, his skating can be highly impressive even if shifts tend to get short if he finds himself having to kick them off with high levels of effort. Hopefully, the HG Cup in Edmonton will serve as a spot where he puts himself decisively on the draft prospect map heading into the season. Having returned to HC Davos for this season, it’ll be fascinating to see if he gets any time in the NL at any juncture.
CLIP #1
This clip is a prime example of Mundy’s (#34) explosive speed as he brings the puck out of the zone and up the ice, then dishes it off and charges to the net. A nice save by the goaltender is the one thing hindering what could have been a fantastic all-round play.
CLIP #2
A solid bit of hounding the puck-carrier leads to creating a turnover, which he quickly pounces on. A slick move is followed by a snipe to the upper corner of the net. There’s some killer instinct to be seen here.
CLIP #3
Mundy didn’t have to do a lot of work in the seconds leading up to this power play tally, but he was in the right place and got found at the right time. One of the easier goals he’s been able to put in his outings for Switzerland.
BONUS:
Max Bleicher - Defenseman - Last season: EV Füssen (German Oberliga - 3rd pro circuit)
Just 17-years old until February of 2025, defenseman Max Bleicher is heading to North America to spend the upcoming season with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. Sturdily built at 6-foot, 180 pounds, the Attack will be receiving a player who spent the majority of last season playing against men in the Oberliga Süd, chalking up top four minutes in phases while ultimately finishing third among defensemen on his team with six goals and 14 points. Considering 16 players on the team had a -10 or worse, with three in -30 territory, his -8 didn’t look half bad for a player in his situation. Most importantly, the book on Bleicher is that he’s a gamer. He just works and chugs away, combining a strong understanding of defensive positioning with heady play moving forward.
What stands out most about Bleicher’s play is his headiness and attention to detail. He’s attentive and he’s always looking to make smart plays, be they successful or not. He goes where it hurts to defend and collect pucks, but he doesn’t hesitate to make a few dekes to create space and then find an open station to pass to, with calculated saucer passes being his weapon of choice. Bleicher also finds ways to solve things by making plays rather than just seeking dump-out options, although when he chooses the latter, it’s usually the absolute correct choice in light of the kind of pressure he’s alleviating for his team. Excursions into the offensive zone take place when he gets the (sound) chance, but Bleicher is very comfortable doing as much as he can to quarterback plays from the point, from where he does get off valuable shots. Speaking of which, he can hammer the puck. He needs to do it more often. But when the time is there to wind up, he’s got a cannon.
There are some detractors though and some might point to how he does experience leaky breakdowns in his own zone or that he can be manhandled off the puck here and there. It does happen and although some of his reads are great, others are not. There’s fluctuation. It was a big part of the learning process jumping to pro play last season. One also has to ask if some of that is due in part to a lack of the kind of four-way mobility you usually want to see from your defensemen as well as a skating style that doesn’t see him go all too deep in the knee while chugging along. Only time and continual off-ice work (i.e., improving leg strength) will go to show if the skating stride will become lighter on the eyes and more effective while the defensive breakdowns become fewer. He’s definitely got a hockey mind and hasn’t come so far so quickly without dedication to improvement, resulting in his steep learning curve. It’s actually been quite considerable in such a short period of time, so the move to North America may just be the thing to more quickly turn him into the player his development has been indicating he’ll become.
CLIP #1
Here’s a look at Bleicher jumping out of his zone, making a nifty move after quickly being attacked right on the heels of accepting a pass from teammate Lewandowski, only to skate down uncontested and blow a shot by the US goaltender.
CLIP #2
In this shift against Slovakia, Bleicher (#4) keeps things simple and aware with some good stickwork and then sound positioning. He ultimately uses his skill to smoothly put Germany into breakout mode although it doesn’t look like there should be an out for him here.
CLIP #3
In a rougher shift, Bleicher (#11) sees his initial dump get deflected. He then leaves an opponent wide open while drifting in towards puck play upon instinct. Although he does get back safely, the way he picks up the puck ultimately invites his opponent to move in on him and he’s overwhelmed physically, giving up possession in his own zone, far too casually no less.