Leon Draisaitl was born on 27 October 1995 in Cologne, Germany. Leon’s career started in there playing hockey under his dad, Peter. Peter had played ice hockey for the Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and represented West Germany and Germany in 146 games, including at World Championships, the World Cup, and at 1988, 1992, and 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
Leon had the most interest in ice hockey but also tried soccer. Like his dad, he played with the Kölner Haie under-16 team and the Adler Mannheim under-18 ice hockey teams. When not playing for those two teams, he was skating on the side with the Ravensburg Towerstars, a team his father coached. He had signs of being a prolific scorer, scoring 21 goals and 56 points in 35 games for the Jungadler Mannheim of the German Development league.
He was the league’s player for the year in 2012. The following year he took a leap to North America and was drafted by the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League. Leon flourished in Prince Alberta making a name for himself for two seasons and catching the eye of the Edmonton Oilers.
He was drafted No. 3 in the 2014 draft by the Edmonton Oilers behind Aaron Ekblad and Sam Reinhart. So, Leon was in a draft year that has produced numerous elite players. We were fortunate to get Leon Draisaitl No. 3 as we finished No. 28th in the league in the 2013-2014 NHL season. Now 828 games later and 1011 points, Leon is the only born German player get 1,000 points in the NHL and only the 103rd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.
Draisaitl exceeded all expectations
Leon played 128 games for the Prince Albert Raiders scoring 59 goals and 163 points for 1.27 points per game. After being drafted by the Oilers, his first year was in 2014-2015 with only 2 goals and 9 points in 37 games (hard to believe, really!).
He had arrived as a lanky German kid with great hair in Prince Albert and the courage to leave the Rhineland for frosty Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, at just 16 years old. But, as a 20 year old on the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL in the early part of 2014-2015 season, he was just starting to understand how to play in the most competitive league in ice hockey with the big body frame he had. But, he needed time to get stronger and adapt to the NHL pace and style of hockey.
The Oilers sent him back to the Kelowna Rockets after 37 games in the NHL. That was exactly what he needed and ended up scoring 19 goals and 53 points in 32 games (a 1.65 points per game average) and getting stronger. He helped the Rockets get to the 2015 Memorial Cup final but lost to Oshawa in overtime. Inspite of that loss, he was the tournament MVP, demonstrating early signs of leadership and superstar qualities.
He returned to the Oilers in 2015 and was sent to Bakersfield Condors for only 6 games before being called up for the remainder of the 2015-2016 season. He finished that season with 19 goals and 51 points in 72 games (a 0.708 points per game average). He was a natural center who used his size and vision to effectively map were players were and sense of where the open ice was to pass it to.
Since his return in 2015, Leon’s scoring and defensive abilities just accelerated and nobody could predict that he would get to 1000 points in 828 games for 1.22 points per game average. He was well on his way to an already impressive career and the Oilers and fans were relieved that we made the right choice in the 2014 draft to pick Leon Draisaitl.
Leon is regarded league wide as a No. 1 center
With Leon and Connor playing for the Oilers, Leon has often been, unintentionally, in McDavid’s shadow. That said, he has proven over the past 5 years that he should and can be a number 1 center for the Edmonton Oilers. This has been demonstrated in both his scoring abilities, his leadership in the dressing room and by his leadership on the ice.
We saw the latter upfront during game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs vs the Florida Panthers when the Oilers were down 3-0 in the series and were not playing well in game 4. He voiced his opinion on the bench and called all the players out for their lack of play, intensity and desire to win. His opinion mattered and players listened to what he had to say. They went on to tie that series 3-3 but lost in game 7 of the Stanely Cup finals by one goal.
The series was a loss, but it should again what kind of leader and inspirational player he is. He now has 1000 points and 419 goals and is not “just feeding off of Connor” but has become the prototype centre: big, strong, good at draws, lethal shot, playoff performer and great hockey IQ.
He has won numerous trophies including the Hart and Ted Linsday trophies that designate him as the most valuable player to their team. He has been a first team all star many times and many in the league consider him a number 1 center and would die to have him on their team.
Fun facts about Leon Draisaitl
There are many things people may or may not know about Leon.
a) Leon was selected 2nd in the 2012 CHL import draft by the Prince Albert Raiders. The Edmonton Oilers deeply thank the Raiders for believing in him to bring him to North America;
b) Many have commented that Draisaitl’s elegant passing and shooting skills are similar to that of hockey legends Jean Believeau and Maurice “Rocket” Richard;
c) Draisaitl is tied with Messier for 1.21 points per game on the Oilers all time career point leaders, only behind McDavid at 1.57 and Gretzky at 2.39 points per game (quanthockey.com)
d) There have been 10, 50-goal, 100-point NHL seasons posted in the last decade. Draisaitl has four of those. Auston Matthews has two, four players have one each. Leon has had 6 out of his 10 seasons with over 100 points;
e) Leon and Connor individually have had the most points of all NHL players in the last 10 years. Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin and David Pastrnak are the rest of the top five players;
f) Draisaitl will become the 20th European-trained player to scale four figures, and the 21st fastest player in NHL history;
g) Other notable German born players to be compared to Leon - Dany Heatley (791 points), Walt Tkaczuk (678 points) and Marco Sturm (487 points, the head coach of the Boston Bruins);
h) He married a Canadian girl from Sudbury, Ontario, has homes in Ontario, Edmonton and Portugal;
i) He has a big endorsement contract in Germany with Puma.
j) Leon’s personality — calm, grounded, and quietly intense — contrasts with the flashier styles of younger German stars like Stützle.
How will Leon be remembered?
First and foremost, when he hangs up his skates he will most likely be known as the greatest German hockey player and is well on pace to have his name etched in the history books inside the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Leon has fit in well with not only the Oilers but the city of Edmonton. We see the team and the all the Oilers players in Edmonton under a high-powered microscope most of the time and every game conjures criticism and praise. Leon in no different and we all forgot that hockey players are not robots but humans playing a very competitive sport at the elite level. They will have great days and poor days but we know that both Leon and Connor will perform the best they can on any given game night.
Some nights you watch Leon play and he is not noticeable but the score sheets says he has a goal and 2 assists. The best players in the world will do that: they always find a way to contribute. It hurts to play against Draisaitl and is not just in your plus-minus as he can dish out hits too. He has openly accepted a secondary role beneath McDavid with far more grace than many others would. McDavid respects that and only see him as his equal.
Leon and Connor work so well on separate lines and as a tandem lately and have scored 57 points in the past 20 games of the 2025-2026 NHL season – that is 2.85 points per game! Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have had 50 points in their last 20 games. So, our two superstars are part of a very elite company and setting records for a hockey duo.
Many believer that both Leon and Connor will automatically get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. They are both determined to win the Stanley Cup and bring Stanley Cup glory back to Edmonton. Leon has been a dynamic player for the Oilers whose work ethic matches that of McDavid and of the hockey greats. He will be remembered as one the greatest Oilers to put on the uniform. Connor McDavid has publicly said that Draisaitl’s personality is a big part of why he’s such a good friend and teammate and why he loves playing for the Edmonton Oilers.
We have watched many of the current Oilers core players mature from 19 or 20 years of age. They have gone through heart ache and triumphs over the past decade. Will the Oilers win the Stanley Cup? Time will tell but our core gives us hope with leaders like Leon Draisaitl on the team.
Stats and information courtesy of eliteprospects.com