Leon Draisaitl continues to be one of the best players in the world, and it’s not really the first time he’s battling for first place in the overall scoring. He’s currently third with 22 assists and 16 goals, only behind teammate Connor McDavid (43 points) and Dallas Stars phenom Jason Robertson (39 points).
Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy in 2020 and has scored more than 100 points in three seasons. He’s currently on pace to score 130 – it would be the best in his career – and he continues to dominate.
Draisaitl has a higher hockey IQ than almost every other player in the world, and there’s nothing he can’t do on the ice.
But it’s not just his abilities on the ice that stands out from the rest. He’s also playing with a fairly unique stick.
Draisaitl plays with an oversized blade, and when he was talking to the NHL on TNT crew ahead of puck drop against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, he got some questions on it.
“That blade on your stick, is there a nickname for it? It seems extremely oversized and in fact illegal,” Paul Bissonnette questioned.
Draisaitl stated that it’s for sure legal and also revealed his great nickname for the paddle.
“It is legal,” Draisaitl said. “But I do call it the ‘burger flipper’ every once in a while. I think it flips a nice burger.”
He’s not wrong. In the last three seasons, he’s recorded 67, 53, and 55 assists. It’s so fun to see players talking with the NHL on TNT crew.
During Draisaitl’s interview, he also answered a question from Rick Tocchet about how much he’s practiced to get his amazing backhand.
“It’s just something I’ve taken big pride in,” Draisaitl said. “My dad used to always tell me it’s another weapon in any situation, really. I try to use it to my advantage and sometimes it works better than others.”
Don’t forget to follow Hockey Beast on Instagram!
