Tim Stützle (Adler Mannheim)

The German prodigy remains ahead of all other under 18 players in this season’s Champions Hockey League when it comes to both games played and points totalled. One of only two young players to ice in every game for his team this season, Stützle has notched five points (2+3) – good enough to put him third among die Adler’s leading points scorers, and only one short of leading duo Matthias Plachta and Borna Rendulić.

Stützle isn’t a big shooter, but when he does it’s accurate - 14.29% of his shots have hit the back of the net. Considering his awesome performance in the DEL as well, where he has 19 points in just 21 games, it’s no surprise that the Krefeld-native has jumped from 10th to fifth in HockeyProspect.com’s 2020 NHL Entry Draft ranking over the past four months. Unfortunately, with Mannheim’s exit from the competition, we may not see any more of Stützle in the CHL.

John-Jason Peterka (Red Bull Munich)

A second German player making a name for himself this season is forward John-Jason Peterka, or JJ for short. The Red Bull Munich star has also played in all of his side’s games thus far and put up three points (1+2) in those eight. While that might not seem as impressive on its own, when you take into consideration that he averages just 9:41 of ice time a game then it shows you the potential this 17-year-old has. With the Red Bulls again through to the Quarter-Finals and hoping to go deep again, it seems unlikely that Peterka will move much further up the roster – however, his achievements in this season’s competitions have not gone unnoticed. HockeyProspect.com didn’t have him in their Top 31 three months ago but come the November update JJ has moved into #18 overall.

Alexander Holtz (Djurgården Stockholm)

Holtz certainly started this CHL season with a bang: scoring two goals, including a game winner, in his team’s opening day victory against GKS Tychy was quite something. The remainder of this season’s games have been quieter for the 17-year-old with one point in the next six games. At the same time, scouting reports have gone form ranking the Swede to #8 overall in the NHL Entry Draft to #11 now. That said, being anywhere near a Top 10 pick and three points in the CHL in your first full season at senior level is nothing to be sniffed at. With Djurgården still alive in the competition, there may be more chances for Holtz to shine.

Lucas Raymond (Frölunda Indians)

A general theme for Swedish prospects has been a slowing of pace as the CHL season has progressed. Lucas Raymond started with a point per game in the opening three Group Stage fixtures, but since then he’s not been able to put up any more numbers and missed a couple of games, too. Originally a Top 3 projected pick for the 2020 Entry Draft, Raymond has slipped one to #4 overall – though he is still considered to be the top Swede to be selected next summer. Another player averaging less than ten minutes per game, three CHL points is certainly nothing to ignore- and with Frölunda looking to defend that trophy we may see more of Raymond as the season goes on. Samuel Fagemo’s performance in last season’s Final isn’t something many people have forgotten.

Topi Niemelä (Kärpät Oulu)

The only U18 defenseman in this season’s Champions Hockey League, Topi Niemelä’s European adventure came to an end when Kärpät Oulu were eliminated in the Group Stage in a three-way tie. A goal and two assists made him Kärpät’s second-best defenseman in the competition, not bad considering he was averaging just over ten minutes a game. When Niemelä was on the ice his team averaged 65 shots for and just 31 against, an excellent 67.44% ratio. However, despite some encouraging numbers, the Finn still remains unrecognised as a projected first-round pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Quick overview of other U18 players

Sebastian Malát (HC Pilsen) - 2 games, 1 point (0+1)
Kasper Simontaival (Tappara Tampere) - 2 games, 0 points
Kilian Rappold (Graz99ers) - 2 games, 0 points
Adrian Zubak (HC05 Banská Bystrica) - 1 game, 0 points