Laura Kluge was Germany's top forward at the World Championships. The 5-foot-10 leader combines size, skill, and a two-way presence that could benefit the depth of a PWHL team making her a prospect to watch at the PWHL Draft.
Laura Kluge was Germany's top forward at the World Championships. The 5-foot-10 leader combines size, skill, and a two-way presence that could benefit the depth of a PWHL team making her a prospect to watch at the PWHL Draft.
Laura Kluge is a sleeper pick for the upcoming PWHL Draft, but with impact. Looking at forward depth across the PWHL, there's a lot to love about adding a player like Kluge.
She can play center or the wing, and adds a sizeable two-way presence, leadership, and character to a roster. At the World Championships, Kluge was Germany's best forward making a noticeable impact every time she stepped on the ice.
Kluge effectively uses her 5-foot-10 frame to take away time and space from opponents, close lanes, and to win puck battles. In front of the net, she's a gamer who likes to create havoc and can tip pucks home.
In Germany with Memmingen, Kluge had 18 points in 10 games in the regular season and added 11 in six playoff games. At the World Championships, she notched five points in six games for Germany, and was key to Germany's push for a spot in Group A, and winning Group B.
Aside from perhaps PWHL Toronto, every team in the league has a need for a player like Kluge who will make them more difficult to play against in tight games, and who can contribute offensively from the bottom six, with the ability to take shifts up the lineup.
It will not be Kluge's first time in North America either, as the veteran spent four seasons at St. Cloud State in the NCAA.
Forward depth in the PWHL Draft this year isn't spectacular, and it's likely players like Laura Kluge, or other European veterans including Michelle Lowenhielm and Mathea Fischer will earn long looks in the late rounds as players who can step in and play a multi-faceted role in the league.