Coyotes' Tobias Rieder provides a boost with maturity

He might not have labeled it as a backup plan but if his hockey career never panned out in North America, Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder always had the option of returning home to Germany and playing in the local leagues there.

But that wasn't the dream.

The NHL was, so Rieder didn't focus on the alternative.

And after orchestrating one of the more successful rookie campaigns the Coyotes have witnessed in recent years, it's likely he never will.

"He's a real devoted guy," coach Dave Tippett said. "Plays the game the right way. Plays hard every night, and he's had a very good rookie season. Very good. Very bright future ahead for him."

Rieder's 11 goals are the most scored by a Coyotes rookie since winger Mikkel Boedker had the same amount in 2008-09.

What's especially encouraging from an offensive standpoint is the fact that Rieder is one of the team's top generators of scoring chances 5-on-5, Tippett said. And yet, when onlookers size up his game, it's the responsibility he has in his own end that suggests he's more mature than the average 22-year-old adjusting to the NHL.

Perhaps Rieder's upbringing in the sport is the reason.

Rieder started skating as a 4-year-old in southeast Germany and was in organized hockey only two years later. He actually wanted to be a goalie to copy his dad who played the position, but one of the more talented German players to reach the NHL, winger Marco Sturm, soon became his idol.

Sturm morphed into a mentor for Rieder, once dispensing advice during summer barbecues at Rieder's house. He was particularly instrumental in helping Rieder choose junior hockey in Canada.

So as a 17-year-old, Rieder left home and moved to Kitchener, Ont., to try to shine enough to be drafted by an NHL team.

"As soon as I made the decision, I knew I'm not coming over here to have fun or whatever," he said. "I knew I want to pursue my dream and just work on it every day and just keeping that focus, I think made me more mature."

The first few weeks were lonely but once Rieder immersed himself in the season, he was comfortable. And while racking up points (he eclipsed 40 goals in his sophomore year), he began to hone a style under then-coach Steve Spott that would make the transition to the pro game much easier.

The NHL wasn't always available on TV in Germany, so Rieder wasn't really influenced by a specific type of player. When he was instructed to use a 200-foot approach, he embraced it. That two-way efficiency, along with his skating, became his meal ticket.

"If nobody catches you, then it doesn't matter that much how strong you are," Rieder said.

After adding Rieder via trade from the Oilers, who selected Rieder 114th overall in 2011, the Coyotes knew they had a prospect who could offer speed and skill. But, really, it's been Rieder's play without the puck and versatility to be on the power play and penalty kill that has solidified his role on the Coyotes.

"He gives you confidence you can put him in situations where he knows what to do and not just the situations, 'Oh go try to score a goal,' " Tippett said. "It's put him in the last minute of a period to protect a lead or play against top players where maybe a different player would make a lot more mistakes that would leave your team a lot more vulnerable, he doesn't make those mistakes."

And although getting to that point required sacrifice — his mom still cries at the airport when Rieder leaves for a new season — Rieder is grateful for the journey because it put him exactly where he wants to be.

"That made me way more mature, and that somehow got into my game as well, which is a good thing," he said. "I'm really happy that people say I play mature, and I just gotta keep going and keep growing as a player."