No. 22 Leon Gawanke : A fresh start for an offensive defenseman

One offseason acquisition that might go underrated entering the 2023-24 season is Leon Gawanke, who the Sharks traded for on July 2nd, earlier this summer. Just four days later, the young defenseman signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sharks.

Although the 23-year-old defenseman will have to compete for a spot in the top six on opening night against the absolute logjam of NHL depth defensemen the Sharks boast, Gawanke should see some long-awaited opportunities in the big league this season.

Position: Defense
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 198 lbs.
Age: 24
Date of Birth: May 31, 1999
Draft Year: 2017, 136th overall by the Jets
Shoots: Right
2023-24 Team: San Jose Barracuda

This under-the-radar trade has shades of the Sharks’ earlier move near the 2023 trade deadline in getting young Henry Thrun. As with Thrun and the Anaheim Ducks, there had been reports that Gawanke would not want to return to the Winnipeg Jets organization. Despite his offensive numbers improving every season in the AHL, the Jets ultimately never dressed Gawanke for an NHL game. Gawanke watched as players like Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley jumped over him for a call-up.

The Jets already had a stacked defensive core that included quality NHL defensemen in Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo. With players like Heinola and Stanley getting called up first, there was little room for Gawanke.

Similarily, Thrun had informed the Ducks that he would not sign an NHL entry contract with the Sharks’ rivals once his season at Harvard University was up. Thrun likely saw the already budding defensive core in Orange County and decided he would receive better opportunities up north.

Now, it is likely the two defensemen will be in somewhat direct competition for that sixth defensive spot in the organization’s big club.

Gawanke has had a diverse hockey-playing experience. Before jumping to the Winnipeg organization, Gawanke grew his game with Eisbären Juniors Berlin, then Cape Breton’s QMJHL team, where he also recorded high offensive numbers. In addition to AHL experience, Gawanke has represented his native Germany now multiple times in the Men’s World Championship and the Men’s World Junior Championships.

What we like

Gawanke has become a proven offensive weapon for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in the past two seasons. In each of his first three years of professional hockey, the young Gawanke has improved his point total from 7 points in 26 games to 36 points in 65 games and now to 45 points in 68 games. Even before the pandemic, when Gawanke made his AHL debut, he registered 26 points in 48 games. He has been a reliable 5-on-5 and power play puck mover for a playoff-caliber Moose team and is ready to be rewarded with an NHL tryout.

The question becomes, how much of an opportunity does Gawanke have with San Jose?

In rapid fashion, General Manager Mike Grier has collected a few promising young defensemen: Shakhir Mukhamadullin, Nikita Okhotiuk, Valtteri Pulli and Thrun. Besides these prospects, the Sharks already have established NHLers in Mario Ferraro, Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Jan Rutta, Radim Simek, Matt Benning and Kyle Burroughs. Then there are the skaters that are caught in between like Nikolai Knyzhov, Nick Cicek and Jacob MacDonald.

Although none of them are Erik Karlsson, there are still several capable NHL defensemen ready to leapfrog into the lineup. However, as we said, none of them are Erik Karlsson – and somebody’s going to have to play the point on the power play, right? It’s hard to envision half of the established NHLers finding more of an offensive flare at this stage of their careers, save for Knyzhov and MacDonald, perhaps.

This leaves room for an offensively gifted defenseman like Gawanke to secure a spot on the power play. He will definitely be expected to share power play time in the Barracuda with Mukhamadullin, and it will be interesting to watch how the two talented young skaters grow their game further.

Areas of Improvement

Most Sharks fans have not seen Gawanke’s play, but one point of concern from the start would be asking why, despite his success in the AHL, had he not been called up by the Jets? A new organization means a fresh start, but it also means he’ll have to prove himself to a new set of eyes. Without any NHL experience, it is hard to tell exactly how Gawanke might fare at the game’s highest level. The game’s pace and intensity goes up a significant notch, even between the AHL and NHL. Gawanke would have to adjust his defensive reads and need time to figure out what kinds of offensive risks he can pull off at the NHL level.

Highlight

32 seconds into #RFDvsMB and Leon Gawanke (@manitobamoose) finds the back of the net. pic.twitter.com/d8IbfqmGIY

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) March 25, 2023

This is hopefully an example of what Gawanke can achieve on a regular basis with San Jose’s organization. He has a skillset for manufacturing offense. In this clip, Gawanke utilizes some of his skating to create space. His feet are moving which makes him harder to track and defend. His shot is perfectly placed, and this seems to be a highlight of his abilities. Gawanke has scored many goals for the Manitoba Moose over the past four years, and we can only excitedly await his arrival to San Jose, where he may hopefully maintain his scoring touch just as well.