Draisaitl became the first German player to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP after leading the NHL in scoring with 110 points in 71 games. He also won the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player as voted by peers.
Draisaitl joins former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki as the only German players to earn MVP honors in one of the four major North American professional sports leagues.
“Dirk was obviously someone that I look up to, someone that I admire,” Draisaitl said. “The way he presents himself and the way he really has achieved everything that there is to achieve for a professional athlete in North America.