LONDON, ONT.—German forward Marcel Mueller can’t help but make a big impression. When you’re 6-foot-3, 220 pounds you tend to stand out.

Mueller did that last year, scoring 24 goals — and posting 122 penalty minutes — in 53 games as a winger with Cologne in Germany’s top league.

“I think I’ve got a little bit of everything,” said Mueller after a practice at Leaf rookie camp. “I’m a power forward. I can score goals. I can make good plays and play the body. That’s what I want to do.”

No surprise that he sounds just like GM Brian Burke’s kind of guy. Burke started pursuing Mueller in December.

“He’s big, he’s powerful. He goes to the dirty areas. He plays with grit,” Marlies coach Dallas Eakins said of Mueller.

Eyes were really opened when Mueller was named to Germany’s Olympic and world championship team, along with another Leaf prospect, defenceman Korbinian Holzer.

“He’s a tough guy to play against,” Holzer, a defenceman with Duesseldorf, said of Mueller. “He’s very good at protecting the puck. Big kid. Great skater for his size. Great shot. He can play rough, too. Knows how the game works.”

The 21-year-old Mueller is pegged for top-line work with the Marlies after his first Leaf rookie camp. Holzer, however, may be running out of chances. This is his third Leaf rookie camp, and his best shot at a job in North America.

“First, I want to get used to North American-style hockey and try to play my best as I can and see what comes out from that, and work hard every day, and show the coaches I’m ready to play here,” said Holzer, chosen 111th overall in the 2006 draft.

Two years ago in rookie camp, Holzer was carrying the puck through the neutral zone with his head down when he took a hard hit, resulting in a concussion. It cost him six weeks and his game in the 2008-09 season never recovered.

“It affected me the whole year. It took me a while to get back in shape and get back to play where I was before,” said Holzer. “It was a tough season for me. Just a tough year.”

Last year, he got his game together. He scored six goals and 16 assists — with 95 penalty minutes — for Duesseldorf. The highlight for him was the outdoor game at the world championship, a tournament in which Germany placed fourth.

“That was a great experience, with opening game in soccer stadium. It was unbelievable playing in front of 78,000 people. It was a great experience in front of the home crowd.”

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The 22-year-old Holzer, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, has a booming slapshot and plays a quietly-effective game, a bit like Leaf defenceman Carl Gunnarsson.

“The German league is a good league, but to play in both the Olympics and world championships, that’s key,” said Eakins.

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