Former Prince Albert Raiders coach loves seeing Draisaitl excel with Oilers

Since the day Leon Draisaitl landed in Prince Albert as a 17 year old back in the summer of 2012, former Raiders assistant coach Tim Leonard knew he was going to be a great player for years to come.

“After seeing him for the first couple of weeks on the ice, it was like, ‘Wow, this kid is something special and he is going to go on and do some special things,’” Leonard said.

“I picked him up the first day, and his English wasn’t the best. I took him up to Christopher Lake for the day and had a good day at the lake. That’s kind of how it all started. (He was a) very pleasant young man when he first showed up.”

Read more:

• Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch looking to bring Stanley Cup home to Imperial
• Saskatchewan fans getting into Stanley Cup spirit as Oilers win Game 1
• Edmonton, Sunrise mayors up the ante in bet over Stanley Cup rematch

Draisaitl was dubbed the “German Gretzky” before coming to Canada and, as a result, was selected second overall by the Raiders in the 2012 CHL Import Draft.

As a Raider, Draisaitl registered 163 points in 128 games over his two seasons with the team. In 2014-15, he was traded to the Kelowna Rockets and led that club to a Memorial Cup final, where he won MVP of the tournament.

Leonard suggested the biggest thing Draisaitl learned from being a Raider was his leadership on the ice and in the dressing room.

Leonard mentioned the other thing that stood out about Draisaitl was his hate for losing.

“He’s going to do everything he can to win. I guess he’s kind of maybe a little bit like Michael Jordan, that if guys aren’t doing their share, he’s going to let them know,” Leonard explained.

“But I think he’s got the respect of the guys, that he is able to share that info.

“He wanted to be the best he could be and nobody was going to disrupt that. The leadership side of it was moved to him when he got here, but after the first year, he was really good at it. He learned when to say stuff and when not to say stuff and go out on the ice and get it done that way and lead by example.”

Leonard admitted it’s been pretty cool to see Draisaitl take his game to new heights since arriving in Edmonton.

“I can’t imagine sitting on the bench of the Oilers there and just watching these guys go out and do what they’re capable of doing,” Leonard said.

Leonard said he still stays in touch with Draisaitl.

He doesn’t have any plans to attend the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, but mentioned he’ll be rooting for his former player and the Oilers.

“He’s just a good kid and he was very happy to be here in P.A.,” Leonard said. “I think he grew here and we’re happy to see what he’s turned into and the player that he’s turned into. (I’m) pretty happy that he came and played in P.A.”