Maple Leafs' former 111th pick retires from hockey at age 38
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The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Korbinian Holzer in 2006.
Nearly 20 years later, he's called it quits on a lengthy hockey career. He's retiring after playing his final season in Austria for league champions Graz99ers.
“My decision was already made before the playoffs,” Holzer said in a Graz99ers team statement. “Of course, I never dreamed it would turn out this way. That makes the timing all the more perfect. It didn’t happen overnight, but rather developed over months. And now it’s simply time to take the next step.”
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The Leafs took Holzer out of the German pro ranks with the 111th pick in 2006.
He ended up playing 206 total NHL games between the Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators.
His NHL journey concluded after the 2019-20 season, when he headed back to Europe.
Holzer may not have been a breakthrough player in the NHL ranks, but he was key for his country. He suited up twice for Germany in the Olympics, and seven times in the World Championships.
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The 6-foot-3 right-handed shot played 58 games of his NHL career with Toronto across three different seasons, recording nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) while spending a lot of time in the AHL with the Marlies.
He then played 145 games for the Ducks, with four goals and 14 assists (18 points).
He wrapped things up with just three games in Nashville.
Holzer moves on to the next chapter of his journey, having covered a lot of the world's ice rinks in a two-decade hockey playing career.