Following a clutch victory against the Buffalo Sabres last night, to keep the Sens 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff odds favourable, we now want to write about and marvel at the stats of Tim Stutzle, the German superstar. And for fans of the Ottawa Senators or nationally Team Germany, who are we to disagree? We want to honour him for becoming the youngest Ottawa Senator in franchise history to hit the 400-point mark. It happened a few games ago, but that does nothing to diminish the fact that it is a truly remarkable feat. So, let’s dive in and get sensational with it.

Ottawa Senators German Superstar Tim Stutzle and his Stats

Credit Image: © David Kirouac/Cal Sport Media

Four Youngest Senator Players to 400 Career Points

In becoming the youngest to ever achieve it within a franchise, is no small feat. There have been many excellent players to have started their career in Ottawa. Stutzle does have the benefit of starting when he was 18, and being relied upon for his offence early on, given the rebuild status of the club, at the time. However, that just speaks to his durability as a young player in the league. Yashin never had the luxury of such a linear path through his career trajectory. Meanwhile, Brady wouldn’t be considered the offensive talent that Stutzle is considered. Finally, Spezza had a strange start to his professional career. That included a 117-point campaign with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators during the lockout of 2004-05.

From One German Great to Another

One interesting comparison of their respective career trajectories is that of fellow German star, Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl achieved the feat at 24 years, and 107 days. Like Stutzle, Draisaitl played his first NHL season after being drafted. He was taken in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. However, he had a bit of a slower start to his career. Through his first two NHL campaigns, he only had 109 games played with 21 goals and 60 points. In contrast, Stutzle had 132 games played with 87 points through two seasons.

Furthermore, both players had a slow start to their career in the faceoff dot. Despite being a regular on the draw, Draisaitl didn’t crack the 50% mark until his fourth year in the league, when he was over 56% successful. Stutzle never saw that kind of success, really until this year. However, he never quite saw the opportunity in the faceoff circle earlier in his career, especially in his rookie season. If this season continues, it will be Stutzle’s first of his career above 50%, as he is currently at 52.8%.

If we directly compare their age-24 seasons, there are some similarities. For Draisaitl, it was perhaps the most dominant of his career, even still to this day. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player, as well as the Art Ross Trophy, as the league’s regular season scoring leader. In that year, the Covid-19 shortened 2019-20 campaign, he put up 110 points in 71 games, with 43 goals and 67 assists. He had an average ice time of 22:37 and his faceoff percentage was 52.1%.

Stutzle Stats are Representative of Being a Cog in the Senators Wheel

Stutzle doesn’t quite have that offensive output, but then again, head coach Travis Green instills a very structured team defence. Plus, he doesn’t have the benefit of Connor McDavid to team up on the power play, or late in games. In case you’re wondering, McDavid had missed a couple games that year, and ended up with 97 points. Besides his rookie season, it was his only year he missed the 100-point mark.

In terms of ice time, Stutzle has been above 21 minutes a couple times in his career. This year it is 20:25, and he has had a career average of 19:39. Very solid for still a young player in the league. Plus, the Sens are deep upfront right now, and coach Green takes pride in balancing out their attack.

Back to the comparison to Draisaitl, and it allows us to show how Stutzle has done well in one aspect to show his greatness. The trait of being able to take your weaknesses, and make them your strengths. We might recall back when Sidney Crosby was a rookie, and his poor record in the faceoff dot. So, what did he do, he went to work. Basically, ever since his second season in the NHL, Crosby has been able to carry his own in the circle. Of course, nowadays he is regarded as one of the most clutch at faceoffs, when his team needs a win. That is regardless of the zone or side for that matter. Similar ideas hold true for Stutzle.

Until the 2025-26 campaign, Stutzle had notably struggled in the faceoff dot. It was one major knock against him in being recognized as a top-line centre in the game. This year, however, Stutzle has been able to change that narrative. His faceoff win percentage has put himself in the realm of the top guys, especially so among the top liners. That is the struggle of being the best, you need to beat the best. Many players who are great at faceoffs, can be more of the specialist variety. That distinction is not unlike how we might identify Stutzle’s teammate, veteran Claude Giroux. Giroux can also be seen as a great mentor for Stutzle. His presence, along with extra help, can (at least) partially be a key contributor to Stutzle’s overall success on the draw.

Stutzle’s Game is Multi-Dimensional

The other side of Stutzle’s game that has seen significant growth, is his two-way play. Stutzle has been prone to costly turnovers throughout his career. The kind that can directly turn into transition chances from the opposition.

Stutzle has learned to perhaps hang on to the puck longer. Rather than make high-risk, high-reward type decisions, sometimes holding on to it to engage in puck battles, prevents teams from quick counter attacks after a resultant turnover. It can also help his playmaking abilities. Taking a little extra time with the puck, to allow guys like Drake Batherson or Fabian Zetterlund to open up, can be a recipe for success.

There are just so many factors involved in Stutzle’s greatness. This includes who his linemates have been. His best year, was the year when the Sens loaded up a top line. Playing with the Sens other best forward in Brady Tkachuk, as well the veteran Giroux who had seen a major resurgence that year, was a recipe for success, a formula for winning, if you will. In over 500 minutes on-ice together, they had an expected goal percentage of nearly 60%. Stutzle hit many career highs, including goals (39), points (90), shots (228), and ice time (21:16). Furthermore, Stutzle had a shooting percentage of 17.1% that year. That’s a mark he is looking to eclipse this season, as he currently sits at 17.6%.

As we kind of alluded to, Stutzle doesn’t have the luxury of consistent linemates in 2025-26. According to MoneyPuck, he has only played with two line combos more than 87 minutes together. With Tkachuk and Zetterlund, the trio has an xGoals% of 69%. In addition, with Giroux and Batherson, it is still very strong at 59%.

As we can see, Stutzle is able to sacrifice individual success for the sake of the team. Even though he won’t reach those career marks from the 2022-23 campaign, his offensive totals are nonetheless impressive. He currently has 76 points in 75 games. If he can maintain the point-per-game pace, it will be only the second time he will hit that value. If he can continue to grow in many areas, there is no doubt in this writer’s mind where he will end up at the end of his career. That is, with his sweater number hung from the rafters in the arena in Ottawa. Whether that is in the Canadian Tire Centre, or somewhere in LeBreton Flats, only time will tell.

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Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images