Hockey

The Emergence of Tim Stützle

December 9, 2022
Jack Richardson

   The Ottawa Senators recently went through a stretch where they faced both the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers, the two teams who selected in front of them in 2020, twice in 2 weeks. This seems like the perfect time to analyze the rise of Tim Stützle.

   Stützle was selected 3rd overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Sens. The Rangers and Kings picked 1st and 2nd respectively, ultimately passing on the German superstar for Alexis Lafrenière and Quinton Byfield.

   While it’s still early, 2 years is a reasonable amount of time to judge a draft and who the best picks were. At this point in time, Tim Stützle likely goes 1st overall in a re-draft. 

Here’s why:

Seizing The Opportunity

   People are quick to point out how Stützle has been given opportunity right from day 1, which is why he’s had so much more success than his counterparts to date. While that’s true, the player still has to produce at the end of the day. 

   Stützle made his NHL debut on his 19th birthday as a left winger. By the time he turns 21 in January, he will be the undisputed #1 centre on the team. The injury to Josh Norris is a big reason why that role was open, but many would point to the end of last season when Norris was still in the fold. 

   Dating back to March 1st, Stützle and Tkachuk lead the way for the Senators:

   The fact that those two are finding obvious chemistry is crucial to any future success that the Senators hope to find. Through the first quarter of the season, they’ve been the best players on the roster, and are fully living up to their contracts. 

Back Against The Wall

   What might go unnoticed about Stützle is the resilience he showed last season. In a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Stützle took a bad hit from Nick Suzuki, leaving him in some agony on the ice and forcing the Senators’ trainer out to check on him. 

   When the Senators were awarded a powerplay because of the hit, Stützle stayed out to start the shift. After losing the game 6-3, Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had this to say about Stützle:

   The blowback is pretty well-documented and at the end of the day, re-sparked a rivalry that has some pretty fun soundbites over the past decade. But Stützle had to deal with plenty of criticism from fans and media who agreed with Gallagher. 

   Stützle did end up missing 2 games with a knee injury from that collision.

   There was a point where he had to disable comments on his Instagram page because fans were going out of their way to harass him. Instead of clapping back in the media, Stützle decided to take the high road, even though he was clearly frustrated with the whole situation. 

   That incident occurred on April 5th. From then until the end of the season, Stützle posted 16 points over the remaining 12 games, including 8 goals. He let his play do the talking and so far this season, he’s taking the same approach. 

   The way he bit his tongue in the media when it would have been easy to run his mouth as Gallagher did speaks volumes about his character. 

Year-to-year Progression

   While he’s only 20 years old, Stützle has been a mainstay in the Senators’ lineup for 2 years now. He officially switched to the centre-ice position when the Senators visited the Anaheim Ducks on November 26th, 2021. 

Since that game, this is Stützle’s stat line:

GP: 88

G: 31

A: 46

P: 77 

   This is who Tim Stützle is. A play-driving centreman who takes care of the puck at both ends of the ice and is exceptional in transition. During his rookie season, the offensive flashes were there but Stützle was noticeably struggling on the defensive side of the puck. Now, he’s the best all-round forward on the team:

   It’s exciting to think about what his ceiling might be. His German counterpart Leon Draisaitl comes to mind, and when Stützle was drafted that seemed like a lofty comparison. But game-by-game, Tim Stützle is turning heads around the league.

I wrote about the 2020 draft being a steal for the Sens before the season began, and it’s looking more and more like they have the best player out of the entire crop so far.

-Jack Richardson

Twitter: @jackrichrdson