It’s been a busy year for David Lewandowski. Less than 12 months after he helped lead Team Germany to a gold medal at the U18 Division 1A World Junior Championship, he was one of 90 prospects at the NHL’s most important event for potential draft picks, the NHL Draft Combine. In between, he moved countries, helped a young Saskatoon Blades roster qualify for the playoffs, and competed in three international tournaments.
As a chaotic year came to a close, I caught up with Lewandowski back in April to ask him some questions about the final event of the season and, arguably, the most important, the NHL Draft. As one of the top prospects in North America, he will surely be one of 224 names announced on June 27 and 28 and likely the only one from the Blades. But Lewandowski didn’t give any indication he was fazed by any of it, approaching each new challenge as an opportunity to play the sport he loves and continue to improve as a player and a person.
From Germany to Saskatoon
Like many Germans, Lewandowski grew up playing soccer and also enjoyed playing tennis. It wasn’t until he was about eight years old and his family moved to the city of Düsseldorf that he joined his first hockey team. It turned out he was a natural. He put up 20 points in 19 games at the U15 level at just 12 years old, and two years later, he was promoted to the U17 team after averaging 3.3 points per game. By 2022-23, he was unstoppable; in 32 games with the U17s, he recorded 70 points.
In 2023-24, at 16 years old, Lewandowski joined Düsseldorf’s U20 team, where he played for his idol, his dad. Eduard Lewandowski played in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) from 2000-08 with Kölner Haie and Adler Mannheim before moving to the Kontinental Hockey League, where he played until 2015 when he returned to Germany and joined Düsseldorfer EG.
During his career, Eduard Lewandowski participated in four World Championships, the 2006 Olympics, and two Spengler Cups, was a five-time DEL All-Star, and was the 2007 DEL Champion with Mannheim. He was even drafted into the NHL by the Phoenix Coyotes in the eighth round of the 2003 Draft, but never left Europe before retiring in 2023 and going into coaching.
“I always like my dad,” said Lewandowski when asked who he models his game after. “I think when your dad plays, as a son, you always like to watch them and see how he plays.”
With his dad at the helm, Lewandowski thrived. In 33 games, he scored 15 goals and put up 48 points, finishing second on the team. That led to an opportunity to join the Essen Moskitos in Germany’s third-tier pro league. Despite being the youngest player by nearly two years, he wasn’t fazed by facing grown men, recording a goal and nine assists in 13 games. It also cemented his spot on Germany’s U18 Division 1A World Junior Championship team, where he put up another point-per-game performance en route to claiming a gold medal.
Lewandowski’s success was beginning to draw international attention, and although he was slated to make his DEL debut with his hometown team in 2024-25, the Blades selected him in the second round of the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. Although he was a top talent, it seemed unlikely he would come to North America until he suddenly announced he’d be leaving his home and coming to the Western Hockey League (WHL).
“We knew there was risk drafting him given his pro status in Germany,” said Blades’ general manager and president Colin Priestner, “We always believed Saskatoon was the best place for him to showcase his talents during his draft year and beyond. We’re absolutely thrilled he has chosen to leave home and commit to our hockey club.”
Lewandowski’s decision came down to where he could have a bigger impact. “I didn’t play much, like, not much ice time,” he told Cami Kepke in an interview in March. “I just thought I’d rather come over here and play more minutes, so it’s better for me, and I think it was a good decision.”
Lewandowski’s Rookie Season
Lewandowski’s decision didn’t come without some uncertainty, though; this trip was just the second time he’d been overseas, following the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, Alberta. To ease his transition, the veterans on his DEL team, which included former WHL stars Paul Postma and Kyle Cumiskey, gave the youngster some parting wisdom. “The older guys told me, like, when you come over, you have to work every day, every day,” he recalled. “You have to do more than the other guys, things like that, like I have to work more than the guy next to me, but it’s just for me to get better and improve myself.”
With that in his back pocket, it didn’t take long for Lewandowski to return to his high-scoring form. In his third game in Saskatoon, he scored his first WHL goal, catching a pass off his skate from Tanner Molendyk before sliding it through traffic and past the goalie. By his seventh game, he already had four goals and six points, and by game 14, he had 12 points and a five-game point streak under his belt.
The German national team came calling soon after, placing him on their preliminary roster for the U20 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. Of course, it was no surprise that he made the final cut, and on Dec. 26, 2024, he made his World Junior debut against the dominant Americans. Despite the 10-4 final score, Lewandowski made a huge impact, including a goal to cut the Americans’ lead to one.
“Lewandowski was everywhere today,” wrote Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis after the game. “From some good defensive play, to taking a penalty and ultimately scoring a goal, Lewandowski was Germany’s best player today. And that tracks back to the pre-tournament drubbing from Sweden on Monday, too – even when the score was extremely lopsided, Lewandowski was tremendous. NHL scouts are noticing.”
Lewandowski only scored once more in the tournament, but he wasn’t bothered by his uncharacteristic lack of production, nor was he disappointed at Germany’s ninth-place finish. Instead, the best part was getting to see all his old friends again and competing against some of the best junior players in the world. “I was just like at the tournament, and I just wanted to play hockey with my German buddies, and it was so fun to play against Canada. When you play, like, every guy is drafted, or like he’s going to get drafted, you see that in how they play.”
The German star finished his rookie season with 24 points in 32 games, putting him 14th among WHL rookies. Initially listed as a ‘W’ player by NHL Central Scouting, indicating a potential sixth or seventh-round pick, he was 52nd among North American skaters on their midterm ranking, then bumped up again on their final list to 51st before being included as one of 20 WHLers invited to the Combine.
All that attention can be a lot for a teenager, but Lewandowski has a strategy to deal with the pressure and scrutiny. “I don’t really think about it too much,” he told Kepke in March, “I think when you think about it too much, it’s not good for you, so I try not to think about it.”
Scouting Report
Although Lewandowski has tried to tune out the noise when it comes to the Draft, a lot of people are talking about him being a potential mid-round pick. He’s a highly engaged winger who competes hard and supports his team in a variety of ways, whether through creative puck movement, fighting for possession in the corners, or backchecking hard to prevent scoring opportunities. He does so many things well, especially for a rookie in the WHL, but there is one thing that stands out.
“I think I’m more of a playmaker,” he explained. “Trying to pass the puck, make space, protect the puck with my body and pass it and all that. A couple of the last days, I scored more, so it depends. Usually, I try to pass it first, but it’s good every time, but sometimes the shot is better.” He then added that he was especially good at “protecting pucks, making plays, I think that is what I can do, like, winning battles.”
Lewandowski has a deceptively strong shot. He can pick his corners and beat goalies easily when he sees an opening, but he’d rather pass the puck to a teammate and set up a play. To do that, he puts himself in the toughest areas of the ice, in front of the net and in the corners, to gain possession and move it to a player the opposition forgot about.
It’s a testament to his excellent vision and awareness, which makes him such an effective forward. He also uses his 6-foot-2 frame very well, and he’s difficult to push around. Early in the season, he formed a deadly duo with fellow rookie Cooper Williams, and often, it was Lewandowski in the corners, fighting for the puck, then sending it out to Williams for the goal.
It’s no surprise that he tries to model his game after another versatile forward in the NHL who isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty. “I would say Nikita Kucherov is my favourite one [to watch in the NHL]. The way he passes the puck and all that, it’s unbelievable.”
Like Kucherov, Lewandowski plays a pass-first game, and if the opportunity to score presents itself, he won’t miss his chance, flashing a dangerous level of creativity that is often kept hidden. But the Blades’ young star also isn’t afraid to mix it up when he needs to and was often the first one to rush in and get in the face of an opponent he felt crossed the line. That hasn’t always been a part of his game, but he’s embraced his role on the team.
“I don’t know, it’s just happened,” Lewandowski said. “Sometimes it’s more, sometimes less, but of course, it’s good when you’re a little aggressive, but I don’t want to be too aggressive to everyone.”
Despite playing a fairly complete, two-way game, Lewandowski felt he could still improve in most areas. “Probably I should get faster, a little bit,” he said. “My first steps, and like, overall everything. I could work on shooting and passing…I have to get better on every part [of the game].”
Skating has been a consistent concern for scouts, and while Lewandowski’s stride isn’t the smoothest, he can get up to a good speed and win footraces. Another criticism that falls in line with his evaluation is that he hasn’t shown a lot of dynamism or has a standout skill. However, there have been glimpses of high-end creativity and deception, showing that he may be a year or two away from taking over the league.
While those issues may push him into the third or fourth round, he doesn’t have much to worry about. After all, Kucherov was a second-round pick before he was an NHL All-Star. Anything can happen at the draft, and whichever team ends up with Lewandowski will be getting an effective winger who can do a little bit of everything, and every team could use that type of player.
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