German defenceman Carlos Händel played a couple of seasons in Sweden against better competition than he could have received in his home country before heading to the QMJHL in his draft season. After participating in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, he headed to Halifax to play with the Mooseheads.
Date of Birth: March 31, 2007
Birthplace: Erlangen, Germany
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 176 lbs.
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
He had an ideal start with his new team, recording an assist in each match of a season-opening three-game winning streak, and nine points in his first 12 games. He added just 17 more points over the final 40 games, but just as his international play had inspired a hot start to his season, a return to Halifax from the World Juniors provided another burst of offence with a seven-game assist streak.
Halifax finished the season with just 19 wins, but did pull off an upset in the playoffs by beating the Western Conference-champion Drummondville Voltigeurs, giving Händel a total of 10 post-season games to showcase himself and add another four points to his season total.
Händel’s game is built upon his excellent skating ability. He’s encountered few players who can outpace him and has been become a great puck-mover as a result. This ability features most in his transition game as he carries the puck over either blue line to help his team launch its offence.
In the offensive zone, he walks along the blue line to gain some space on the player tasked with defending him, opening lanes for passes. When it’s one of his teammates who holds the puck, he looks for his opportunity to sneak in to get in position for a pass at the right circle.