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Germany is still off the beaten path for NHL scouts, but the Leafs could end up using two of its players before long.
Defenceman Korbinian Holzer and forward Marcel Mueller are attending this camp and though neither is ready to start with Toronto, they are both 6-foot-3 and expected to play in North America at some stage.
European scout Thommie Bergman was a little surprised to see two on one team. Holzer was a mid-round John Ferguson draft pick from 2006, while current general manager Brian Burke signed the late-blooming Marcel Mueller this summer after he impressed at the Olympics and world championships.
“The German league itself is good, but it’s because there are a lot of foreign players in it,” Bergman said.
Analysing the two Germans, Bergman said Holzer “has good size and good hands and took a big step the first couple of years of his development.”
But Mueller is seen as the more likely to make the NHL first and Toronto has more holes up front than on the blueline.
“He has had a great career and scored a point a game,” Bergman said. “He may have to play a little bit more aggressive and closer to the net and use his size. But he’s a good skater and I’m surprised what he did last year.”
