Tim Stützle

Tim Stützle (born 15 January 2002) is a German professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League (NHL).^[1] Stützle played centre during his development; he has since played the left wing position as a professional. As one of the top prospects available for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected third overall by the Senators.

Playing career[edit]

Stützle played junior hockey for the Krefelder EV 1981. He was the top scorer on his team for the 2015–16 season. In the 2017–18 season, Stützle transferred to Jungadler Mannheim, scoring 18 goals and 29 assists.

Despite originally committing to play hockey at the University of New Hampshire,^[2] and being selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2019 CHL Import Draft,^[3] Stützle opted to remain in Germany, and signed a three-year contract with Adler Mannheim in June 2019.^[4] He made his professional debut at the age of 17 in the Champions Hockey League opening round on 30 August 2019 against the Vienna Capitals.

On 6 October 2020, Stützle was selected in the first round, third overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, using a pick which they had previously acquired in a 2018 trade with the San Jose Sharks that sent defenceman Erik Karlsson to San Jose.^[5] The pick was notably announced by Jeopardy! host and former Ottawa resident Alex Trebek, who revealed the selection with a mock Jeopardy! question and answer done in the style of the show.^[6] On 13 October 2020, while continuing to train in Germany with Mannheim in preparation for the upcoming 2020–21 season, Stützle suffered a broken arm, requiring surgery with a 6–8 week recovery period.^[7]

On 27 December 2020, Stützle signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators.^[8] He scored his first NHL goal on 16 January 2021 against Jack Campbell in a 3–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[9]

On 2 March 2021, Stützle was announced as the National Hockey League‘s Rookie of the Month for February of that year,^[10] after accumulating 10 points in 14 games.

International play[edit]

Stützle was selected as the best player on Team Germany at the end of the first qualifying match against Kazakhstan in the 2020 World Junior Championships. He had five assists during the tournament, and averaged 18 minutes ice time in five games, and was an A-rated skater.^[11] In the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Stützle was named team captain for Germany and lead them to the playoff round for the first time in World Juniors history.^[12] He tallied five goals and five assists in five games and was named player of the game for the team’s second game against Canada.^[13] After the tournament ended, Stützle was named best forward by the directorate and one of the members of the media all-star team.^[14]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017–18	Jungadler Mannheim	DNL		25	18	29	47	8		5	4	4	8	2
2018–19	Jungadler Mannheim	DNL		21	23	32	55	30		5	4	7	11	4
2019–20	Adler Mannheim	DEL		41	7	27	34	12		—	—	—	—	—
DEL totals				41	7	27	34	12		—	—	—	—	—

International[edit]

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018	Germany	U18-D1	12th		5	1	3	4	2
2019	Germany	U18-D1	11th		5	2	7	9	12
2020	Germany	WJC	9th		5	0	5	5	2
2021	Germany	WJC	6th		5	5	5	10	8
Junior totals					20	8	20	28	24