Draisaitl trained with dog

Leon Draisaitl tests his one-on-one skills by practicing with dog Bowie in his home office. The superstar doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the NHL.

German NHL superstar Leon Draisaitl relies on animal support for his training in his home office.

“Every once in a while I grab my racket and play one-on-one against my dog to see if I still have any skills,” said the Edmonton Oilers’ international in an interview with Spox and DAZN. His special training partner goes by the name of Bowie.

Born in Cologne, Bowie has “a good setup for me in his Canadian home country with his own weight room, so it didn’t make sense for me to fly to Germany,” explained the 24-year-old. He is working out a training plan, “but I’m also making sure that I do a lot myself to stay in shape as much as possible.

Draisaitl with Oilers on playoff course
The NHL season has been suspended since 12 March due to the corona crisis. If and when it will continue is open. 189 main round matches are still pending until the possible start of the two-month playoffs in which the Stanley Cup winner will be determined.

“We can only wait and see. Of course we hope that the season can be played to the end, but what exactly could that look like? No idea,” said Draisaitl. With the Oilers, the striker, considered by experts to be the best hockey player in the world at present, had been on a play-off course until the season was suspended.