But like the San Jose Sharks, who spent their top three picks on German prospects, the Senators even decided to add another German defenseman, 18-year-old Stefan Schauer of SC Riessersee (5'10" / 180cm; 165 lbs. / 75kg) in the 5th round, 162th overall. He debuted at the senior level last season, tallying eight points in 11 games (one goal, seven assists, 24 penalty minutes). Schauer is also part of Team Germany´s junior squad. SC Riessersee currently plays in the Second Division in Germany and won the minor league title last season. The club is third on the all-time list of German Hockey Champions, collecting a total of ten (major) titles between 1927 and 1981. The club is also renowned for producing great hockey talents. It is based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is an one-hour drive south of Munich and was host town of the 1936 Olympic Winter Games.
Munich defenseman Christoph Schubert (6'0" / 185cm; 176 lbs. / 80kg) is coming off a stellar rookie season in the German Elite League, DEL. Although he came in as the captain of the under-18 national squad and had been a starter with minor league club EV Landshut, nobody really expected him to get much ice-time during his first pro campaign with then defending German Champion Munich Barons.
Born 05 February 1982 in Munich, many thought the Barons just added him to the roster to conform to league rules that require each team to carry a certain number of German junior players. But Schubert got his chance, played a stunning season and was named the DEL's Rookie of the Year.
Munich head coach Sean Simpson noticed Schubert's talent right away. He immediately gave him decent ice time. An injury to Barons teammate Mike Smazal required the youngster to step up early in the season. Schubert seized the opportunity and grabbed a starting spot.
In 55 regular season games with the Barons, Schubert tallied nine points (six goals, three assists, 80 penalty minutes) and one game-winning goal.
In addition to possessing physical and mental strength, Schubert turned out to be a strong two-way player. He has keen offensive instincts, which makes him very versatile. He even got to start at forward with Munich and caused some impact there as well.
Hans Zach, head coach of Team Germany, did not hesitate and added Schubert to the national team just two months into the season, in late October 2000. Schubert also appeared at the World Championships in spring. He was part of the starting six in Germany´s quarter final loss to Finland.
In that game, he was paired with another young defenseman, Dennis Seidenberg of the Adler Mannheim. He was also drafted on Sunday, in the 6th round, 172th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Sunday´s draft at Sunrise, Florida, set a new record with a total of seven Germans selected in a single year.
The San Jose Sharks led the way by selecting center Marcel Goc of the Schwenningen Wild Wings (1st round., 20th overall), defender Christian Ehrhoff of the Krefeld Pinguine (4, 106) and goalie Dimitri Pätzold of the Kölner Haie (Cologne; 4, 107) with their top three picks.
The Washington Capitals rounded it off by picking Robert Müller of the Adler Mannheim in the 9th round, 275th overall. Goaltender Müller left a good impression at this year´s World Championships, posting a .9024 save percentage. He was the backbone of the team that skated to a stunning 2-2 draw with later World Champion Czech Republic.
