Every day leading up to the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday, October 6, we will be profiling prospects who are likely to be in range of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ selection at #21.
Lukas Reichel
Position: LW
Team: Eisbären Berlin (DHL)
Date of Birth: May 17, 2002
Birthplace: Nuremberg, Germany
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 172
Shoots: Left
Rankings
Ranked #50 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #33 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
Ranked #31 by ISS HOCKEY
Ranked #33 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #38 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #11 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
Ranked #20 by TSN/McKenzie
2019-20 Stats
Games Played: 42
Goals: 12
Assists: 12
Points: 24
PIM: 0
More Germans in the NHL, please! If Reichel’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he comes from a hockey family – his father, Martin Reichel, was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1992 and his uncle, Robert Reichel, played 830 games in his NHL career for the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Reichel’s scouting reports laud him as a creative and talented puck handler who doesn’t struggle to get shots off. It sounds like he has some work to be done defensively, which is why Columbus would be a great fit for him – they would certainly develop his defense here. He’s made several appearances on the German national teams since 2016 and has watched his family play in the NHL his whole life, so I assume he would struggle less with transitioning to a higher speed and ferocity of play than most his age.
Here’s what the scouting reports have to say:
He’s an unrelenting forechecker & backchecker, never gives up on a play, and wins battles through second efforts. Reichel is a pretty capable puck-handler too, even at top-speed carrying the puck through a defender’s triangle, showing a predilection for outside-in maneuvers, and deploying weight shifts to avoid contact. – EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide
“He has a natural ability to read the flow of play, anticipate and time his movement and find open ice in the offensive zone. Reichel plays in high traffic areas and transitions the puck well and generates offense with apparent ease, despite his somewhat modest offensive skillset.” – Jeff Rea – Dobber Prospects (Sept. 30)
“There’s a comfort level about his game that I admire. He doesn’t rush plays under pressure. To have that assertiveness on the ice against professionals this early in his career is impressive.” – Scott Wheeler – The Athletic (Sept. 21)
“Another high-profile scorer from Germany who earned his keep in the Deutschen Eishockey Liga, Reichel is a 200-foot winger with a nasty wrist shot and release whose 18.5 shooting percentage was 10th in the league among players with 65 or more shots.” –Steve Kourmianos – The Draft Analyst (Aug. 10)
Here’s a highlight reel commentated in German, which is my favorite way to hear hockey described:
What do you all think? I would be thrilled to see Lukas Reichel in Columbus.