By Oliver Knaack and BZ/dpa
It hurts all polar bear fans: Leon Gawanke from Berlin is returning from North America. But he does not move to the club that trained him.
National ice hockey player Leon Gawanke (23) is returning to Germany from North America after his unfulfilled hope for the NHL premiere and is moving to Adler Mannheim.
The defender from the German World Cup squad signed a four-year contract with the Adler, the club from the German Ice Hockey League announced on Wednesday.
Ironically, to the Adler Mannheim, the biggest competitor of the Berliners and for decades absolute DEL archrival. And the polar bears have to put up with the question of why they didn’t manage to bring the offensive defender back. Apparently they could no longer afford Gawanke.
Bergmann comes from Mannheim
curious: Shortly after Mannheim announced the Gawanke commitment, the Eisbären countered with a transfer: Ex-Mannheimer Lean Bergmann (24), who had not received a new contract with the Adler, is moving to Berlin on a free transfer. The striker signed for two years. His DEL record so far: 114 games, 36 goals, 24 assists.
Despite a contract with the Winnipeg Jets, Leon Gawanke is still waiting for his debut in the NHL and has so far played 217 games and scored 119 points in the second-class AHL.
World Cup hope Gawanke
After his playoff exit with the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke is one of the hopefuls for the German defense at the World Cup in Finland and Latvia, behind NHL top defender Moritz Seider and alongside AHL defender Kai Wissmann. Gawanke is expected with a slight delay on Saturday in Tampere, Finland, where the German team will play against eleven-time world champions Sweden on Friday.
“Mannheim has been trying to get my services for almost a year. The Adler are one of the top clubs in Europe and I think I can play a good role,” said Gawanke, according to the Adler release: “I haven’t won anything in my career and I’m hungry for a title. I want to win the championship with Mannheim.”