[Rumour] DEL star David Wolf to join the Flames this summer?

[devo22]

Wolf had two primary assists in a 2-1 win over Ingolstadt today. The Freezers trail 2-1 in the best of 7 semifinal series after losing the first two games, 1-3 and 0-5. Wolf now is third in playoff scoring with 11 points (4+7) in 9 games, while the second best player from his team, Flaake, only has 6 points.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by devo22

Wolf had two primary assists in a 2-1 win over Ingolstadt today. The Freezers trail 2-1 in the best of 7 semifinal series after losing the first two games, 1-3 and 0-5. Wolf now is third in playoff scoring with 11 points (4+7) in 9 games, while the second best player from his team, Flaake, only has 6 points.

The Freezers might be trailing but Winter is Coming.

[Racki]

Thanks for the update. I've been wondering about Wolf.

[devo22]

There was a big piece about Wolf in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" a couple days ago. I have quickly translated it for you guys, I hope everything is understandable. Definitely some interesting parts about his background etc.

In Iserlohn, David Wolf did not find any new friends. For the fans of the Iserlohn Roosters, the left wing of the Hamburg Freezers was the enemy number one; nobody was booed and insulted as passionately as the 24-year-old. But Wolf is used to the feeling. These days he shows his typical smile when he thinks of the six games against Iserlohn - and the fact that he would not be provoked with only one exception. "If you look at the statistics, I did not do a lot wrong", says the former penalty king.

This is an understatement: Wolf, a tough fighter and fearless hustler in front of goal, was the outstanding player of the quarter-final series of the DEL; in the six games he scored four goals and five assists. As a result, the Freezers have reached the DEL semifinals for the second time in the club's history. For many, Hamburg is the number one contender for this year's title.

As a part of the famous first line with Jerome Flaake and Garrett Festerling, Wolf was already stellar in past seasons. But something was missing. "I was not a leader", says Wolf. That has changed this season. "David has matured and grown", said coach Benoit Laporte on his favorite roughneck. At one time, Wolf described his play as following: "Sometimes I have to specifically target a guy - skate to him, knock him down, done."

No wonder that the Islerlohn fans do not like him in particular. His colleague Flaake says: "David is one of those guys that you rather have on your own team." Meanwhile, Laporte has taught his "Bad Boy" how to play smartly. His number of penalty minutes has reached an acceptable level. In training, his teammates have accepted his big mouth and small provocations.

Wolf can convincingly explain where the aggression comes from. Child of divorce, troubled adolescence, a sick mother: little David often resorted to his fists to deal with his problems. "Brawls on the street were normal", he says. But Wolf, 6'3 and 218, is also a thinker. "I used to think about every missed opportunity after a game," he says. Working with a mental coach since 2012 has given him much more balance. "I have a thicker skin now", says Wolf. "Things do not drive me up the wall as quickly any more."

In addition, Wolf stands for the new Freezers identity. Three years ago, they shifted their focus to young German players - now Wolf, Flaake, Festerling, Oppenheimer, and the slightly older Schubert form the cornerstone of a team with title aspirations. You could often see the players bonding after training at their favourite restaurant "Venezia".

"Hockey is my life", says a tattoo on Wolf's left upper arm, and the language of this sentence could soon dictate his life. It is believed that there is an offer from the Calgary Flames of the NHL for the upcoming season. Wolf does not want to reveal too much, as he is still under contract with the Freezers until 2018. "Several NHL clubs have scouted me over the past two years," he says, "but there is nothing more to say." With his physicality and his courage, Wolf would probably be a great NHL player.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/meh...-12875199.html

[Neeper]

damn after reading that, I want this guy on the Flames. TRUCULENCE at it's best.

[saXon]

Originally Posted by devo22

There was a big piece about Wolf in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" a couple days ago. I have quickly translated it for you guys, I hope everything is understandable. Definitely some interesting parts about his background etc.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/meh...-12875199.html

Going by your earlier translations, Wolf has gone from flat out denying any transactions or agreements to this one saying he doesn't want to reveal too much as he's under contract.

Gives me a little more confidence in him joining the club.

[josef]

if anybody is interested, game 4 of the semi-finals starts in 10 minutes, you can watch the live stream here
http://www.servustv.com/cs/Satellite...2FDEL%2FLayout

just click on live-stream (don´t know if it works in northamerica)

David Wolf is # 89 (white jerseys)

[StrykerSteve]

Link works fine in NA, thanks.

[StrykerSteve]

It's crazy how the crowd never stops chanting. They've been going non-stop since the puck dropped.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

It's crazy how the crowd never stops chanting. They've been going non-stop since the puck dropped.

Same in the KHL, and pretty much any league in Europe. I love it... wish we had it in NA

[devo22]

Hamburg lost the game 5-2. Wolf had a primary assist on the second Freezers goal, but was ejected from the game late in the 3rd after delivering a hard hit and fighting another guy as a result of that ... he'll miss game 5 now. As Hamburg is already down 3-1 in the series, it's possible that this was his last game in the DEL.

[btimbit]

The guys name is Wolf.

That's all I needed to hear. Bring him in!

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by devo22

Hamburg lost the game 5-2. Wolf had a primary assist on the second Freezers goal, but was ejected from the game late in the 3rd after delivering a hard hit and fighting another guy as a result of that ... he'll miss game 5 now. As Hamburg is already down 3-1 in the series, it's possible that this was his last game in the DEL.

Think he will play for Germany at the world championship?

[devo22]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Think he will play for Germany at the world championship?

yeah I think he will

[strombad]

Is this guy dirty? I'm all for having him on the team, but I'm fearing that he might play a little too reckless. I'm all for a pest, but I don't want a cheap short artist on the team.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by strombad

Is this guy dirty? I'm all for having him on the team, but I'm fearing that he might play a little too reckless. I'm all for a pest, but I don't want a cheap short artist on the team.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p....php?pid=98191


152 PIMS in 48 games, 167 PIMS 2 yrs ago.


152 would have him tied for 5th in the NHL.

[Robbob]

Does he have to wait till after the WC to sign or just after the DEL season?

[devo22]

PIMs don't tell the whole story because the DEL is far stricter about fights and scrums. Here's how his 152 PIMs divide:

13 x Roughing
7 x Tripping
6 x Slashing
5 x High Sticking
5 x Hooking
4 x Interference
1 x Checking to the Head

2 x Game Misconduct (20 min)
3 x Misconduct (10 min)

It's worth noting that the refs would sometimes hand out 2 + 2 (for roughing each) + 10 (misconduct). Wolf had three of those ... so no wonder his PIM total is quite high. He'd rack up 15-20 PIM in one game, then go five or six games without a single penalty. One of the two game misconducts was for the checking to head and the other one was for a scrum.

As to the question whether he's dirty. From the games I've seen, no I wouldn't call him dirty in general. Thing is he's an extremely physical player who likes to go the dirty areas and who isn't shy of scrums, pushing and shoving etc. He can be like a bull in a china shop out there. I believe the NA game will suit his playing style a bit more than the DEL.

Also worth noting is that he's a guy that has been known for having a short fuse in the past and I think other teams liked to provoke him. He's improved in that area though. In one of the PO games against Ingolstadt, however, he was given a misconduct after banging his stick on the glass in frustration ... because an opposing fan spit on him.

[strombad]

In that case, I WANT ALL YOUR WOLFS.

[PeteMoss]

I hope this guy can play as having a crazy Euro is always fun.