The Manitoba Moose will have a massive hole to fill on the blueline for 2023-24 and onward. On Wednesday morning it was announced that star defenceman Leon Gawanke had signed a four-year deal with Adler Mannheim in Germany.
In opting to agree to a long-term contract in his homeland, the 23-year-old offensive defenceman has effectively thrown both the Moose and Winnipeg Jets under the bus.
Coming off a stellar 68-game campaign in Manitoba that saw the Berlin product put up a team-record 20 goals from the back-end, Gawanke added another 25 assists for 45 total points on the year.
His previous career-best came the year before with 10 goals and 36 points in 65 games for the Moose.
Always having been one for the offence, the Jets' former fifth round pick (2017) really found his offensive flare in his final season of Junior with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Having put up back-to-back 32-point campaigns in his first two years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gawanke exploded for 17 goals and 57 points in 62 games in his last year before turning pro.
He had been nothing but solid for the Moose offensively, while continuing to work on his defensive game over the past four years in Canada. But clearly the opportunity to play at home was more important than working his way up a deep depth chart in North America.
“Mannheim has been trying to get my services for almost a year," Gawanke said in a translated team release. "The Adler are one of the top clubs in Europe and I think I can play a good role. I haven't won anything in my career and I'm hungry for titles. I want to win the championship with Mannheim."
As a restricted free agent, Gawanke will likely be re-signed by the Jets this offseason, despite his intentions to go overseas. He will then be assigned to Germany where he can play out his new contract with Mannheim.
“Leon stands out the most when he's in charge," team manager Jan-Axel Alavaara said of Gawanke via the Adler release. "He plays a strong first pass, makes smart offensive decisions and knows when to take risks and when to back off. In addition, he has a hard, precise shot, which he likes to use from the blue line, and he has solid defensive awareness."