By Jeff D'Andrea

Talking draft with the Deutschland Dangler

Apr 11, 2014 | 5:05 PM

We were able to catch up with Prince Albert Raiders forward Leon Draisaitl, who is currently trying to crack Team Germany's national men's team for the upcoming World Champions in Belarus, May 9-25.

We talk about his thoughts about the recent draft rankings for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft June 27-28 in Philadelphia. 

First question from paNOW: Players always say during the season that they don’t think about the draft and just focus on their game. Now that your season is over, how much are you thinking about the draft and where you’re going to end up?

Leon Draisaitl: Obviously, I can focus a little more on the draft and I’m really excited about it, but right now, my focus is on the German national team.

Q2: You were tied for fourth in points with 105 points (and 38 goals) in 64 games this this year. That’s tied for the most points by NHL draft-eligible players in the WHL this year, along with Kootenay Ice’s Sam Reinhart. Heading into the season, did you expect to have that much success?

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LD: My goal this year was to be a better player all around, not to get more points, but for sure I’m really happy about my points as well.

Q3: Your rankings dropped slightly, from second among North American skaters at the midterm, to fourth in the final rankings released on Tuesday. Is that a concern or are you still satisfied with being a top-5 pick?

LD: Yes definitely it all comes down to the draft and not the rankings. I don’t pay too much attention to that, so it doesn’t bother me at all.

Q4: What can you tell us about the interest you’ve received from various NHL teams?

LD: I don’t think I can tell you anything about that.

Q5: What are you doing from now until the draft?

LD: We’ll see how it goes with the national team and after that I will start getting ready for the combine and season. Then we’ll go from there.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea