One Hecht of a player

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999

By Lucas Aykroyd

German soccer is world-renowned, but German hockey has some way to go before it can be considered on a par with the Big Six of Canada, Finland, Russia, Sweden, the United States, and the Czech Republic. Players like Jochen Hecht are doing much to enhance their nation’s hockey profile. Hecht, a first-year forward with the St. Louis Blues, is off to a quick start after amassing 56 points (21-35-56) in 74 games with the Worcester IceCats of the AHL last year. Selected 49th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-3, 196-pound graduate of the Mannheim Eagles looks poised to become an NHL regular this season, as he’s among the top five scorers on the Blues. If he keeps this up and his team responds in kind, he won’t spend much time this spring on his favorite golf course, St. Leon Roth in Germany. Hecht, 22, spoke with EuroReport’s Lucas Aykroyd after his Blues thrashed the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 at GM Place on 7 November.

EuroReport: You’re leading all rookies with 37 shots on goal so far this season. Have you always been a player who shoots a lot?

Jochen Hecht: Yeah. I try to shoot a lot, but right now it isn’t going in for me. Hopefully that changes.

EuroReport: But you have picked up seven assists playing on a line with Pierre Turgeon and Scott Young.

Hecht: It’s great. Pierre Turgeon is one of the best players around, and it’s fun to be on the ice with those two guys.

EuroReport: You’re listed as a center, but you’re playing left wing on this line. How does that feel for you?

Hecht: I don’t really consider myself a center. I play all positions. Back in Germany I played on the wing, and on the Olympic team too, so it’s nothing really new for me.

EuroReport: This season you’re one of only two German players in the league, along with Marco Sturm of San Jose. Why aren’t there more German NHLers right now?

Hecht: We’ve got a couple of players in the minors coming up. [Defenseman] Sascha Goc is playing for the Albany River Rats, and [defenseman] Erich Goldmann is playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins. I don’t know what the big problem is. But there are also junior players coming up from Germany, and hopefully some of them will be able to make the leap.

EuroReport: Let’s talk about how you got here. What kind of a minor hockey system is there in Germany for young players?

Hecht: Well, there’s junior hockey. But you’re done when you’re 20 or 21. After that, you go to the big league if you’re good enough. But there are no minor leagues over there like the AHL or IHL. The team builds young players up to get better, and maybe one day they can play in the Deutsche Eishockey League. A team has its 23 players and that’s it.

EuroReport: Who was your favorite NHL player when you were growing up?

Hecht: Mostly Wayne Gretzky. We didn’t have a lot of coverage of the NHL in Germany back then, though. And even now, it’s only one game per week on TV.

EuroReport: So did you like German stars such as Gerd Truntschka?

Hecht: Harry Kreis was one guy. He played with Mannheim Eagles for about 17 years. I played with him for the last two years. It was great.

EuroReport: Where were you when you found out St. Louis had drafted you in 1995?

Hecht: I was at the draft in Edmonton. I talked to the Blues the day before, and they said would take me if I was available.

EuroReport: Were you surprised that you were drafted so high?

Hecht: I was expecting to be taken, so that’s why my agent brought me over to Canada to talk to the teams and get an impression.

EuroReport: Why did you decide to spend another four years in the German League after being drafted?

Hecht: First, I had a contract with Mannheim for four years. And the league got better and better because the import players were allowed to come in, as many as wanted to. It was a good way to improve my game.

EuroReport: Do you find the German League is starting to improve to the point where it could compare to the Swedish or Finnish leagues?

Hecht: Yeah, we’ve got a couple of pretty good teams in the league [Mannheim Eagles and Nurnberg Ice Tigers]. They’re doing well in the European Hockey League. Maybe one day we’re going to be up there. Maybe even now.

EuroReport: Did you get any advice from Marco Sturm or Uwe Krupp before coming to North America?

Hecht: I only saw them once, at the Olympic Games in 1998. That was it. I don’t know them that well. Same with Olaf Kolzig. I haven’t trained with them in the off-season or anything like that.

EuroReport: Was it big news in Germany when Krupp scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Colorado in 1996?

Hecht: I would say yes. I watched the game till about 8 o’clock in the morning German time. It was fun to watch. The papers were all over the story. It was a big event.

EuroReport: What’s the biggest thing that helped you to make the step from the Worcester IceCats in the AHL last season to playing for St. Louis this year?

Hecht: I got used to the North American game playing in Worcester. The ice surface is bigger in Europe, so I had to adjust, also to the body contact. Plus this summer, I worked out hard and got stronger, which is important.

EuroReport: What would you like to accomplish with the Blues?

Hecht: First of all, get in the playoffs for sure. Then look to get as far as possible and maybe win the Stanley Cup.