Leon Gawanke (born 31 May 1999) is a German professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He represents the German national team.
Playing career He was drafted 136th overall in the 2017 NHL entry draft by the Winnipeg Jets and signed an entry-level contract on 23 May 2019.
Gawanke played within the Winnipeg Jets organization for four seasons, featuring exclusively with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
As a pending restricted free agent following the 2022–23 season, Gawanke opted to return to Germany in agreeing to a four-year contract with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), on 10 May 2023. Two months later, his NHL rights were traded by the Jets to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Artemi Kniazev. Three days later, he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract by the Sharks. After 38 games in the 2023–24 season with the Sharks' AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, Gawanke and the organization mutually agreed to terminate his contract on 8 February 2024. After clearing waivers a day later, Gawanke subsequently re-joined Adler Mannheim.
International play
He represented Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2014–15 Eisbären Juniors Berlin DNL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2015–16 Eisbären Juniors Berlin DNL 41 11 25 36 18 2 1 3 4 0 2016–17 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 54 8 24 32 26 11 1 3 4 4 2017–18 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 62 4 28 32 39 5 1 1 2 5 2018–19 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 62 17 40 57 26 11 2 5 7 4 2019–20 Manitoba Moose AHL 48 4 22 26 21 — — — — — 2020–21 Eisbären Berlin DEL 6 0 2 2 4 — — — — — 2020–21 Manitoba Moose AHL 26 1 6 7 7 — — — — — 2021–22 Manitoba Moose AHL 65 10 26 36 19 5 1 3 4 4 2022–23 Manitoba Moose AHL 68 20 25 45 51 5 0 1 1 6 2023–24 San Jose Barracuda AHL 38 8 19 27 37 — — — — — 2023–24 Adler Mannheim DEL 8 1 9 10 2 7 2 4 6 11 2024–25 Adler Mannheim DEL 52 8 30 38 40 10 1 1 2 6 2025–26 Adler Mannheim DEL 49 5 25 30 25 15 2 10 12 12 AHL totals 245 43 98 141 135 10 1 4 5 10DEL totals 115 14 66 80 71 32 5 15 20 29
International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2016 Germany U18 D1 12th 5 0 1 1 0 2017 Germany WJC D1 12th 4 0 1 1 0 2018 Germany WJC D1 13th 5 2 3 5 2 2019 Germany WJC D1 11th 5 0 3 3 2 2021 Germany WC 4th 10 2 0 2 0 2022 Germany WC 7th 4 0 1 1 0 2023 Germany WC 8 0 3 3 2 2026 Germany OG 6th 5 0 0 0 0 2026 Germany WC 10th 7 4 3 7 2 Junior totals 19 2 8 10 4 Senior totals 34 6 7 13 4
References
External links
Leon Gawanke at Milano Cortina 2026