He was GermanyвЂ™s starter in the U18 World Championship last year, and although they were greatly outmatched, he kept his team in games they had no business being in, using his size and vision to cut down shooterвЂ™s angles. Rather than bring back Tiefensee, the Germans instead opted for newcomer Nikita Quapp, a 6-foot-3 18-year-old playing with the Krefeld Pinguine in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). HeвЂ™s been one of the best U20 goalies playing in AustriaвЂ™s Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) this season, putting up a 0.908 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average with the RB Hockey Juniors. This year, the undrafted prospect takes on the starting role from the get-go. When it came time to take on the powerful Russians in the quarterfinals, he got the nod and turned away 17 of 19 shots en route to a tough 2-1 loss. Bugl Takes Over as GermanyвЂ™s StarterДЇlorian Bugl (EC Salzberg), Niklas Lunemann (KГ¶lner Junghaie U20), Nikita Quapp (Krefeld Pinguine)ДЇlorian Bugl was one of last yearвЂ™s best underdog stories, starting the tournament in quarantine and then returning to bail out Arno Tiefensee after a tough loss to the Canadians, winning his next two games against Slovakia and Switzerland and putting Germany in a playoff spot. Under head coach Tobias Abstreiter, whoвЂ™s led the team since their return in 2020, the Germans will once again be a tough competitor at the World Juniors. But itвЂ™s also a welcoming party to a new wave of German talent that seeks to reach new heights never seen before.

ItвЂ™s the last kick at the can for this group, and theyвЂ™ve made the most of it, finishing sixth in last yearвЂ™s tournament, the highest finish ever for a German U20 team.

In 2022 many of those players are reaching the end of their junior eligibility, while others, like Tim StГјtzle, John Peterka, and Lukas Reichel, have gone on to ply their trade in the NHL and American Hockey League.

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