Top 25 Under 25 –
#23 – Leon Gawanke
6’1” 201 lbs – Defence – Shoots Right
QMJHL 2018-2019 Season: 2 GP – 1G – 1A – 2PTS – 0PIM
QMJHL 2017-2018 Season: 62 GP – 4G – 28A – 32PTS – 39PIM
QMJHL Career Stats: 118 GP – 13G – 53A – 66PTS – 65PIM
Picked in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, Leon Gawanke played in the Young Stars tournament this fall in Penticton, B.C. before a cameo appearance at Jets camp until getting sent back to junior on September 18th.
Gawanke is now in his third season with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, and already has a couple of points in two games this season.
Gawanke comes in at 23 on the list because at 19, he’s still got a lot of room to grow, and I like his upside, with a booming shot. His skating and defence will need work if he’s to be an effective pro, but again…he’s 19. A good year in junior, coupled with another visit to the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Division I A tournament with Germany (playing on home ice in Füssen, Germany this December), should do Gawanke a world of good.
