ZURICH, SWITZERLAND -- The German under-18 and under-20 national teams begin each season with a summer camp in Switzerland, with the Swiss being sparing partners in a couple of exhibition games. While the marquee name of Leon Draisaitl was missing, there were still some players to keep an eye on. Big 6-foot-4 blueliner David Trinkberger has made a bright start to his North American debut with Muskegon of the USHL - and drew an initial 'C' rating from Central Scouting as a potential late-round pick as did Jakob Mayenschein and Julian Napravnik.
David Trinkberger (2015), D, Muskegon (USHL)
Drafted by the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and is making his debut in North America following his junior years in Landshut .. a steady two-way defenseman who tries to keep his game simple .. moves his 6-foot-4 body well for his size .. shows solid mobility - propelled by powerful strides that produce a respectable top-end speed .. looks calm and poised while moving the puck to support the offense, although he will need to continue improving his puckhandling .. won't hesitate to join the rush if he sees the chance - and will exert pressure on the net by looking for rebounds and tip-in's .. received ice-time with the man-advantage, though was playing more of a passive game and just passing the puck to the next teammate .. will have to work to upgrade a weak shot which he hesitates to utilize as a result .. despite boasting ideal size, he also needs to develop a hitting game and learn how to use his body to his advantage.
Jakob Mayenschein (2015), C, Landshut (Ger)
Mayenschein centered the top line for Germany and played a compact and reliable two-way game .. listed at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, but looks bigger and stronger on the ice .. signed a junior contract last Christmas with EV Landshut of the second division and got his first taste of men’s hockey which should help with the transition in his first full season in the pros .. possesses a good combination of size and mobility, yet attains only average top-end speed .. also will need to work on improving his first few steps .. Mayenschein was already part of the national team as he represented Germany at the 2014 Under-18 World Juniors (6-1-1-2).
Julian Napravnik (2015), LW, Mannheimer Adler (Ger)
A good skater with decent acceleration and shifty movement .. able to move the puck into the offensive zone at full speed - and makes abrupt stops to create time and space in order to look for an open teammate .. possesses only average size at 5-foot-10 and looks rather skinny as he weighs just 155 pounds and has a lot of room to grow into his frame still .. lacked full support in these contests while playing on the second line on the German squad, however was still able to create plays basically out of nothing .. his wrist shot is accurate but still rather weak, although this should change once he improves his strength .. Napravnik just completed his first season with Mannheim in the DNL and will continue to develop in the German junior league.
Dominik Kahun (2015), C, Munchen (Ger)
A tremendous skater, shifty with quick legs and decent acceleration .. plays a smart and reliable two-way game with hard backchecking and solid defensive-zone coverage .. Kahun is the type of player who would rather use his stick to check as opposed to his body .. tends to shy away from physical contact and will turn away along the boards instead of facing an opponent’s hit .. owns a nice set of hands with strong puckhandling abilities which allows him to stickhandle and move quickly through traffic .. lacks strength and can easily be pushed of the puck if he can’t get away with his speed and agility .. possesses excellent vision and on-ice awareness of his fellow players, as he seems to always find the teammate in the best scoring position .. after spending two years in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves and being passed over in the last two NHL Drafts, Kahun decided to continue his career with the EHC Munchen in the DEL.
Tobias Eder (2016), LW, Bad Tolz (Ger)
The only 1998-born player on a relatively weak German under-18 team .. a decent skater who reaches excellent top-end speed .. possesses strong vision and on-ice awareness of his teammates as he finds open space with a quick look and can feed them with crisp passes right into their wheel-house .. a right-shooting winger and an ideal addition to a power play where he is constantly in motion to create space and put himself in a scoring position .. possesses a quick release and fine puck control .. skilled at receiving a pass with his back to the goal and then spinning rapidly and unleashing a hard and accurate shot .. the brother of former WHL Vancouver Giants player Alexander Eder .. played last season as an under-ager with the under-18 team of Bad Tolz in the German junior league.