Rumour: Flames interested in German forward Lean Bergmann
By Ryan Pike
4 years agoThe Calgary Flames continue to work on improving their organizational depth. According to a report coming out of the World Hockey Championship in Slovakia, the club may be looking at adding German winger Lean Bergmann.
The report comes from major German newspaper Bild. Via Google Translate:
But still a top talent is at the top of the NHL managers. Striker Lean Bergmann. The 20-year-old international has signed a highly-endowed contract with the champion Mannheim, but whether he runs in the summer at the Kurpfälzern also is questionable. According to BILD information, several NHL clubs are interested in the former Iserlohner. The best cards in the case of Bergmann are the Calgary Flames.
A 1998-born player, Bergmann is a left shot forward with a big frame (he’s listed at 6’2″ and 205 pounds) that can play either side of the ice. He played his junior hockey in Sweden, but came over to North America as a 17-year-old to play in the United States Hockey League. He returned to Germany last season, where he impressed in the DEL with Iserlohn Roosters – he led the league in scoring among his age group with 29 points in 50 games.
The wrinkle here is this: Bergmann is still eligible for selection in the NHL Draft and he just signed a new deal with Adler Mannheim. The Flames could easily select him late in the upcoming draft to get his NHL rights but allow him to play in Germany, or they could simply wait until after the draft when he’s able to sign with them as a free agent. Either way, his DEL contract status would be a bit of an obstacle to overcome – but nothing insurmountable.
Bergmann is a young, versatile player who had a strong first season in one of the top pro leagues in the world. If he could be wrestled free of his contractual obstacles in Germany, he would be a pretty useful young player for the Flames system.
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