My honest TOTW Leon Draisaitl(87 overall) review
Let me start off by saying that I never in a million years would have tried out Draisaitl. I hold no loyalty to him or the team he plays for. I know very little about him and his real life accomplishments. I pulled his TOTW way back when before it was upgraded to match his new adjusted rating.
Size
At 6'1" 210 lbs, he is very similar in size to Marian Hossa.
Skating
4.5/5
His speed, acceleration, and agility are absolutely insane. He gets up and goes and is at his max speed in no time. I was completely blown away at how fast he skates, how quickly he accelerates and his ability to turn on a dime. A man of his size going that fast is an incredible tool to have on the ice. His only drawback in the skating department is he seems to fatigue rather quickly.
Shooting
4/5
One word describes his shot. Power. Think Alexander Ovechkin power. Whether he's ripping a slap shot or firing off a wrister, you can bet your ass it's going to have some heat on it. His accuracy can be a bit of a concern but I haven't noticed it to be a major issue. He rarely misses the net and can find the corners rather well.
Hands
3.5/5
He's rather middle of the road in this department. Not bad, not great. His speed and agility more than makes up for this as you can outskate and out maneuver defenders who get in your way. You won't be pulling off Datsyukian dekes with this guy. His passing has never been an issue for me. He's a natural center but with such a low faceoff rating of 63, you may want to play him on whichever wing you prefer your lefties.
Checking
3.5/5
Another rather weak area for Draisaitl. He's not going to be John Scotting anybody out there but he can and will hold his own. Again, his speed allows him to get in a check where a slower player with his same size and checking stats may not.
Defense
3.5/5
Don't let the 84 rating fool you. He is no defensive slouch. He can be trusted in his own zone. He's not an elite tier defensive forward but he shouldn't cause you any issues and quite frequently will get you a turnover. I like to control him on defense and find his poke check to be very good. When left for the AI to control he doesn't seem to pull out of position and can get his stick in the way of the passing lanes.
Overall
3.8/5
He's not going to be making your opponents apply a ton of injury cards or impress with his dangles.
His size, speed, and shot power are really what makes him shine.
You can get him where you want him in a hurry with little fear of defenders. He's strong on the puck and agile like a house cat. That combination makes for a very fun and useful player to have on your team.
As of this writing his last price sold on PS4 is 85,500. I think that is a very fair price to pay for someone with such outstanding stats in very desirable areas of a forwards game. If you're looking for something new or lacking that spark, I highly recommend giving him a try.
Posted Feb 25, 2016, 12:27 AM UTC · edited