Major junior Coming off his Player of the Year season in the German Development League, Draisaitl was selected second overall in the 2012
CHL Import Draft by the
Prince Albert Raiders of the
Western Hockey League (WHL). Draisaitl was traded to the
Kelowna Rockets during the
2015 World Junior Championships, the trade made official on 5 January. Draisaitl helped the Rockets to the 2015 WHL Championship, where he was named playoff MVP after scoring 28 points in 19 games. Draisaitl won the Stafford Smythe Trophy as Memorial Cup MVP the same year, although the Rockets did not win the
2015 Memorial Cup, losing the championship final in overtime 2–1 to the
Oshawa Generals.
Professional (2014–present) 2014–2016: NHL debut Draisaitl was drafted third overall in the
2014 NHL entry draft by the
Edmonton Oilers, making him the highest-drafted German-trained player in NHL history (
Dany Heatley, selected second overall in
2000, was born in Germany but raised in Canada). On 12 August 2014, Draisaitl signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Edmonton. Making the Oilers' NHL opening night roster out of training camp, Draisaitl made his NHL debut in the
2014–15 season opener on 9 October, against the Oilers inner-provincial rival
Calgary Flames, which ended with the Oilers losing 5–2. He scored his first NHL goal on 24 October, against
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender
Anton Khudobin as the Oilers would defeat the Hurricanes 6–3. Draisaitl appeared in 37 games for the Oilers for the first half of the 2014–15 season, recording two goals and seven assists for nine points, before being returned to the Prince Albert Raiders. The move was made on 4 January 2015 partly to prevent Draisaitl from moving one year closer to
free agency which he would have done in July 2015 had he been on the Oilers' roster for more than 40 NHL games). During the last Oilers game of the
2015–16 season at
Rexall Place on 6 April 2016, Draisaitl scored the last NHL goal to be scored there in a 6–2 win over the
Vancouver Canucks.
2016–present: Rise to stardom, Hart Trophy, Stanley Cup Final runs The
2016–17 season saw both Draisaitl and the Oilers reach new levels of success. On 23 March 2017, he became the first Oiler player since 1990 to have six straight multi-point games. Draisaitl finished the season with 29 goals, 48 assists and 77 points in all 82 games played, while the Oilers, powered by new captain
Connor McDavid and Draisaitl, ended a 10-year playoff drought and clinched a berth in the
2017 playoffs by finishing second in the
Pacific Division. Facing the
San Jose Sharks in the first round, Draisaitl scored his first NHL playoff goal in the Oilers' series-clinching 3–1 game 6 win. The Oilers advanced into the second round to meet the
Anaheim Ducks. With the Oilers down 3–2 in the series and on the brink of elimination in game 6 of the series on 7 May, Draisaitl became the second youngest Oiler in franchise history to score a
hat-trick in the
Stanley Cup playoffs and the fifth player in Oilers history to score five or more points in a playoff game, helping the team stave off elimination and force game 7. The Oilers subsequently were eliminated in a 2–1 loss in game 7, with Draisaitl's thwarted attempt at a tying goal midway through the third period was dubbed the "save of the game" by the NHL. He ended his first playoffs with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in all 13 games played. On 16 August 2017, Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension with the Oilers worth an annual average cap hit of $8.5 million. The signing was controversial at the time in terms of the dollar figure, but it would rapidly in the following years come to be seen as one of the best-value contracts in the league as Draisaitl further developed into a star forward. Following the playoff success in 2017, expectations were high for the Oilers entering the
2017–18, but it would prove to be a disappointing year both for the team and for Draisaitl. He dealt with injury that caused him to miss a few games, and correspondingly saw his scoring slightly regress, which caused the
Toronto Star to dub him "maddeningly inconsistent." The team crashed down the standings and missed the playoffs, with the decision-making of general manager
Peter Chiarelli increasingly being called into question. In the midst of this, however, Draisaitl had a new career-best season in point production. In the Oilers' final game of the year on 6 April 2019, Draisaitl became the sixth Oiler (and the first since
Craig Simpson in
1987–88) to
score at least 50 goals in a season and the ninth Oiler to score at least
100 points in an NHL season, and finished the season with 55 assists and 105 points in all 82 games with his 50 goals being the runner up (behind the 51 goals scored by
Washington Capitals captain
Alexander Ovechkin) for the
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. In the off-season,
Ken Holland was hired as the team's new general manager. Having already hit new milestones in scoring and increasingly recognized as one of the league's best players, the
2019–20 season would see further improvements for Draisaitl, as he for the first time eclipsed teammate McDavid in point production and was named
alternate captain. By the time the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended the regular season in March 2020, Draisaitl had notched 43 goals and a league-leading 67 assists and 110 points in 71 games played. Before the last three weeks got cancelled due to pandemic lockdowns, he had been on pace to challenge
Tampa Bay Lightning winger
Nikita Kucherov's modern era record 128-point regular season from the previous year and on pace for another 50+ goal season and a 70+ assist season. Notwithstanding that disappointment, the 110 points he had managed were the best of any player that season, securing him the
Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer for the year. He was the third Oilers player (after
Wayne Gretzky and McDavid) and the first German player to achieve that distinction. He was subsequently also awarded the
Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded by the
Professional Hockey Writers' Association to the league's
most valuable player, and
Ted Lindsay Award, voted on by the
NHL Players' Association for the league's most outstanding player. When the NHL returned to play that July for the
2020 playoffs, to be held in a
bubble in Toronto and Edmonton, Draisaitl was one of 31 skaters that the Oilers took into their quarantine bubble. As the fifth-ranked team in the
Western Conference at the time of the halt to the regular season, the Oilers played in a best-of-five qualifying round against the 12th seeded
Chicago Blackhawks, a team they had been expected to beat since the bubble was at their home arena and the Blackhawks weren’t originally supposed to be in the playoffs and only were in due to the expanded format while the Oilers were one of the 16 teams in the league that would’ve been in the 2020 playoffs regardless. However, the team's offense struggled, noticeably lacking in scoring from players other than the top trio of Draisaitl, McDavid, and
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and was eliminated 3–1 in the series by the Blackhawks. Draisaitl managed three goals and three assists for six points in four postseason games. In light of pandemic restrictions on cross-border travel, the NHL temporarily realigned its structure for the
2020–21 season, with all Canadian teams playing in the
North Division and interdivisional play suspended. Draisaitl and the Oilers enjoyed a strong season in this new format, though following his dominant prior season Draisaitl was now considered by many to again be operating in McDavid's shadow. On 31 January 2021, Draisaitl recorded six assists in the 8–5 win against the
Ottawa Senators, becoming the first Oilers' player since
Paul Coffey on 14 March 1986 to record a six-assist game. With 31 goals and 53 assists in 56 games, Draisaitl finished second in league scoring, distantly behind McDavid, whose historic season saw him score 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists) in all 56 games. The Oilers advanced into the
2021 playoffs for a series against the
Winnipeg Jets. They were unexpectedly swept by the Jets in the first round, with Draisaitl recording two goals and three assists for five points in the four-game series. in March 2023. While the Oilers started the
2021–22 season with a franchise-best 9–1 record, Draisaitl and McDavid became the first pair of Edmonton teammates to individually reach 20 points within the first 10 games of the season since Wayne Gretzky and
Jari Kurri in
1984–85. Draisaitl scored 20 goals in his first 19 games, and lead the league in goal-scoring for much of the year, though he was ultimately overtaken in the race for the
Rocket Richard Trophy by the
Toronto Maple Leafs'
Auston Matthews. After an excellent start to the season, both the Oilers and Draisaitl began suffering a marked decline in results, culminating in a 2–11–2 stretch of games in December and January. By early February they had dropped out of a playoff spot. Amidst extensive media discussion of the Oilers' lack of depth scoring and questionable goaltending, general manager Holland fired coach
Dave Tippett and replaced him with
Jay Woodcroft, previously the coach of the Oilers
AHL affiliate
Bakersfield Condors. The Oilers recovered their form under Woodcroft, finishing the season in second place in the Pacific Division to qualify for the playoffs after posting the third-best points percentage in the league after the coaching change with a 26–9–3 record. Draisaitl, meanwhile, continued to set new milestones, hitting the 50-goal mark for the second time in his career in a 3 April game against the Anaheim Ducks. His 50th goal was also his 100th point, reaching that mark for the third time. He then notched a new team record for
power play goals in a 12 April victory over the
Minnesota Wild. The Oilers advanced in the
2022 playoffs to meet the
Los Angeles Kings, seen as favourites to advance beyond the first round for only the second time in Draisaitl's career. The series proved to be a tough contest, and the Oilers were down 3–2 going into game 6 in Los Angeles. The team avoided elimination, but in the course of the game Draisaitl sustained a high ankle sprain in a scrum with Kings defenceman
Mikey Anderson. Draisaitl dressed for game 7 and played over 22 minutes despite what many remarked on as limited mobility, helping the Oilers win the series and recording one assist. Due to his injury and resultant mobility issues, Draisaitl was primarily employed as a winger in the following games. The Oilers drew the
Calgary Flames in the second round, the first playoff "
Battle of Alberta" in 31 years. In the series against the Flames, Draisaitl set a playoff record of five straight games with three points or more, and by the close of the series was tied with McDavid for the playoff points lead with 26. After recording 17 points in five games, Draisaitl broke the Battle of Alberta record for most points in a series. In addition, Draisaitl became the fourth fastest player in NHL history to record 50 playoff points. The Oilers advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time since
2006. The Oilers were defeated by the top-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion
Colorado Avalanche in a four game sweep, bringing their postseason to an end. Draisaitl was credited with a strong performance through the series, including recording four primary assists in game 4 in a failed bid to avoid elimination when the Oilers lost 6–5 in overtime. He was visibly in pain from his leg injury for much of the series. After the conclusion of the playoffs, the Oilers confirmed that he had been playing through a high ankle sprain since game 6 of the first round. On 5 April 2024, Draisaitl recorded his 500th NHL assist on a Connor McDavid goal in a 6–2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Draisaitl finished the season with 41 goals, 65 assists and 106 points in 81 games. In the
2024 playoffs, Draisaitl helped the Oilers defeat the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round for the third straight season along with the
Vancouver Canucks and
Dallas Stars in rounds two and three, respectively. This resulted in the Oilers clinching their first appearance in the
Stanley Cup Final for the first time since
2006, which ultimately resulted in their defeat to the
Florida Panthers in seven games, one win short from winning the Stanley Cup. On 3 September 2024, Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract extension to stay with the Oilers with an annual salary of $14 million until the 2032–33 season. At the time, it was the richest contract in league history. Oilers new general manager
Stan Bowman, (who had been hired by the Oilers earlier in the 2024 off-season to replace
Ken Holland who resigned after not being renewed a new contract himself), stated: "Leon's commitment to our team, our city and Oilers fans everywhere cannot be overstated. His desire to help bring a Stanley Cup title home to Edmonton is central to everything he does both on and off the ice." Draisaitl ended the
2024–25 season with 52 goals and 54 assists for 106 points in 71 games. His 52 goals earned him his first career Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer and his 106 points ranked him tied with
Boston Bruins forward
David Pastrňák for third in the league in points only behind the 116 points by Colorado Avalanche's forward
Nathan MacKinnon and the league-leading 121 points by Tampa Bay Lightning's forward Nikita Kucherov, respectively. He was named a Hart Trophy finalist for the second time. In the
2025 playoffs, Drasaitl and the Oilers would return to the
Stanley Cup Final, again losing to the Panthers, this time in six games. For the playoffs, Draisaitl ended with 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in all 22 games. On 15 March 2026, in a 3–1 win over the Nashville Predators, Draisaitl sustained a undisclosed lower-body injury after getting hit by Predators’ forward
Ozzy Wiesblatt, resulting in him missing the remainder of the
2025–26 season. Up to that point in the season, Draisaitl had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games. Draisaitl returned for the first game of the playoffs and would lead the team in points that year. The Oilers would end up losing to the
Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the
2026 Playoffs, 4-2. ==International play==