Leon Draisaitl confident in Tim Stützle's abilities, believes he will be successful in the NHL

Ahead of Wednesday's matchup with Ottawa, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl was asked by the media about fellow German Tim Stützle and his recent struggles, only scoring twice in his last 19 games, and how difficult it is for an 18-year-old to perform at this level.

"Yeah it's hard, I mean it's the best league in the world, it's a tough league. No one's just gonna let you come in and score. Guys are so good at defending nowadays that it's hard, especially as a young kid when you don't have experience, and all that kind of stuff. Those things are normal, they happen to pretty much any young guy. I've been through it, he's going through it, I'm sure he'll be fine.", the Oilers star said.

As Draisaitl mentioned, he struggled early in his career. During his rookie season in 2014-15, he only recorded 9 points (2 G, 7 A) in 37 games, before sending him back to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. The Oilers got a lot of flack for not allowing Draisaitl to participate at the 2015 World Juniors, but sent him back to the WHL just as the tournament was wrapping up.

Despite scoring only twice in his last 19, Stützle has tallied 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 36 games this season, tied with Josh Norris, and Connor Brown.

The Oilers will battle the Senators on Wednesday with puck drop set for an unusual time of 5pm ET.

"Guys are so good at defending nowadays that it's hard, especially as a young kid when you don't have experience... I'm sure he'll be fine."

Leon Draisaitl weighs in on Tim Stützle and the level of difficulty that comes with being a teenager playing in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/bWCbrv0hxb— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 7, 2021

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