CREDIT: OHL IMAGES
German defenceman Tim Bender is an impressive new addition to the Knights’ lineup.

Tim Bender has been a London Knight for just over four months now. He joined the defending OHL champions just days after news broke that Olli Määttä would remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL.

OHL rules dictate you're only allowed two import players, and with a spot freed up by Määttä, general manager Mark Hunter cashed in his insurance policy and signed Tim Bender.

Drafted by the Knights in the 2013 CHL import draft, Bender is from Mannheim, roughly two hours from Stuttgart in southwestern Germany, a land dominated by soccer.

He was the 78th and last player selected in the import draft.

But from a young age, Bender knew he wanted to be a hockey player.

“I played both sports, but when I was six, or five, I can't remember, I had to decide between hockey and soccer,” said Bender with a smile. “I chose hockey. It was more fun.”

“My dad used to play hockey and he took me with him one day and asked me if I wanted to try it. I said yes. Later when he asked I told him, ‘I wanted to keep on doing this.'”

If not for hockey though, Bender probably would have taken up soccer.

“In Munich where I played this year [with EHC München in the German League], soccer is pretty big,” he said. “We had about 2,000 fans at our games, but they were pretty loud. It was fun playing there, but at the same time you weren't as popular as the soccer players in the area.”

Indeed, when Bender was signed, he wasn't expecting to play big minutes in his first season in Canada. The Knights at the time boasted Alex Basso, Brady Austin, Miles Liberati and Dakota Mermis, and were waiting on Nikita Zadorov to return from Buffalo.

Bender was expected to slot into a bottom pairing role and get his feet wet.

“That's a men's league and that's a pretty big jump,” Hunter said. “That's like the American League here.”

“He didn't play a lot of power play, but he has good offensive tools and he knows how to be positionally correct on defence,” Hunter added. “As much as you need to play physically, you still have to be in good position to play defence.”

It's a different style of play between the German Elite League and the Ontario Hockey League. For instance, the OHL is a lot more physical in terms of style.

“The rink is smaller [in Canada] so there's a lot more hitting. In Germany, there isn't so much if it. Some of the guys here too are so fast, so skilled. It's a little tougher playing here.”

Prior to joining the EHC München in the German League, Bender hailed from the famed Mannheim Adler junior program. He was at the centre of his club's incredible success, winning a second straight championship. Bender notched 17 goals, 37 points and a whopping +50 rating in 38 total games, playoffs included, and was the last cut from Germany's 2013 World Junior squad (similar to Nikita Zadorov from the Russian squad.)

Bender got the call to represent his country at the 2014 World Junior Championships. He tallied an assist in seven outings.

“That was a fun time playing for my country at that level. I've done it before at the under-18 but this was good. Maybe next year Germany will do better.”

And while Bender's game continues to improve while in London, he could take on an expanded role next season. The Knights will be without Basso, Austin and Bell definitely with the possibility of Zadorov moving on as well.

Maybe then it will be Bender's time to shine in the OHL. But for now, the German is biding his time on route to possible success with the London Knights.