Canucks centre Lukas Reichel unloads during a matchup against Edmonton Oilers on Sunday at Rogers Arena. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS Ethan Cairns / THE CANADIAN PRESS

At age 17, Lukas Reichel was playing first-division pro hockey in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Article content

His Berlin Polar Bears linemates were Landon Ferraro, 28, and Maxim Lapierre, 34. Article content Article content

Quite the experienced bookends for a kid from Nuremburg trying to grow his game on the expansive international ice surface where time and space were plentiful. Great for freewheeling and creativity. Not so good to form a foundation and establish a complete game in North America.

“You don’t have the battles on the big ice, and it’s so much different,” Reichel told Postmedia on Tuesday. “You have to s

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