Ice Hockey World Championship: Draisaitl promises DEB for the future

After three defeats and only two points from three matches, Germany is doomed to victory at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark against South Korea (4.15 pm in LIVETICKER and LIVE on DAZN). NHL star Leon Draisaitl has nevertheless made a promise for the future – and still believes that he will make it to the quarter-finals.

“The results are frustrating. But I think we played some good hockey at times,” Draisaitl told Sport Bild after the bankruptcies against Denmark, Norway and the USA: “The quarter-final, which is still possible, would be a great success.

The 22-year-old from the Edmonton Oilers also highlighted the standing of German ice hockey. The sensational coup with the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang at the beginning of the year cannot be compared to a world championship.

“The World Cup is a completely different tournament from Olympia. The NHL players are there, that changes things. We Germans are still a small ice hockey country, there are many countries that are better than us,” said Draisaitl.

Although national coach Marco Sturm received an unexpected number of cancellations in the run-up to the World Cup and the team therefore had to make major changes, the centre did not think of staying away from the tournament in Denmark.

“Not a second. It’s still something special for me to play for the national team. It’s a question of honour for me. That’s why I’ll always be happy to join the national team when I don’t have any matches in the NHL,” said Draisaitl.

The DEB team is currently in seventh place in Group B. In order to still have a chance at the final eight, which each reach the four best teams of the two groups of eight, the next two matches against South Korea and on Saturday against Latvia (12.15 p.m.) must be won after regular time.

Even in this case, Germany would probably have to take one or two points against the two top nations Finland and Canada to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in a row.