The Edmonton Oilers, after a lengthy wait, have made their second selection of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. After acquiring the 90th overall pick from the Minnesota Wild in a Friday night trade, the Oilers selected German defenseman Luca Munzenberger with their first pick on Saturday afternoon.
Munzenberger played in six DNL U20 games in his native Germany with Kolner Junghaie U20 in 2020-21. In those six games, he scored three points (1 g, 2 a), served as team captain and collected six penalty minutes. It was his third season with the team. He scored 18 points (4 g, 14 a) in 33 games in 2019-20.
He represented Germany at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton, appearing in five games but failing to register a point. He was, however, listed as a player who helped his draft stock by ‘Sports Illustrated‘ following the tournament.
Here’s what the publication had to say.
Once Germany got a full lineup, it was a lot easier to get a feel for the talent on the squad. One beneficiary might be Munzenberger, a big, sturdy kid who is committed to the University of Vermont and currently playing in Germany’s junior league.
“We’ve watched him this year and talked about him,” said one scout. “But to see him come over and play in this tournament – which for draft eligible players is the mecca – he came in and held his own. He was easy on the eyes.”
“He was another guy who grew on me as the tournament went on,” said another scout. “A little on the rugged side and he made that good first pass. He wasn’t on our radar prior to the tournament but he showed well and looks like a draft.”
The 6’2″ defender is slated to play college hockey, as SI mentions. Currently, he’s slated to join the University of Vermont for the 2022-23 season in the Hockey East conference. Vermont is coached by Todd Woodcroft, brother of Bakersfield Condors’ coach Jay Woodcroft.
Edmonton’s next selection is 116th overall.
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