Leon Gawanke

Leon Gawanke (born 31 May 1999) is a German professional ice hockey player for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He represents the German national team.

Playing career
He was drafted 136th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and signed an entry-level contract on 23 May 2019.

Gawanke played within the Winnipeg Jets organization for four seasons, featuring exclusively with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

As a pending restricted free agent following the 2022–23 season, Gawanke opted to return to Germany in agreeing to a four-year contract with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), on 10 May 2023. Two months later, his NHL rights were traded by the Jets to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Artemi Kniazev. Three days later, he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract by the Sharks. After 38 games in the 2023–24 season with the Sharks' AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, Gawanke and the organization mutually agreed to terminate his contract on 8 February 2024. After clearing waivers a day later, Gawanke subsequently re-joined Adler Mannheim.

International play
He represented Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.