DEV CAMP: Munzenberger and Maatta following a similar path

EDMONTON, AB - Luca Munzenberger and Joel Maatta are teammates, roommates, and now both are Oilers draft picks.
Munzenberger, the Oilers third-round selection in 2021, and now Maatta, are both at Oilers development camp this week having played the previous season at the University of Vermont. It was there, last week, that the two got to share in the moment Joel Maatta officially joined the Oilers as a seventh-round selection.
"It's kind of a funny story," Maatta said. "We were on the ice with Vermont having a battle day and coach just shut down the practice and told us I got drafted. That was pretty special to share with my teammates."
Munzenberger says he was excited to have one of his best friends now be a part of their NHL journey together. The two European products - Munzenberger is from Germany and Maatta from Finland - are just two of a handful of non-North Americans on the roster and have developed a strong bond over the last year.

"Luca's one of my best friends and we're going to be roommates," Maatta said. "It was really cool to get drafted here with him."
"Of course it's nice to have a friend here that I already know (at Oilers Development Camp)," Munzenberger said. "I think he's a really good guy. I'm living with him in the dorm rooms next year, we're really close friends."
This isn't the first time the duo have been in Edmonton together, however. Munzenberger was a part of the German World Junior team that played two games in Edmonton prior to the tournament getting postponed due to Covid. The defender scored a goal and added an assist in the two contests. Maatta was also in Edmonton with Team Finland, where he had three points (1G, 2A) in two games.
This week at Oilers Development Camp has been much better - and warmer - than the last trip according to Munzenberger.

"I've already been to the town because of World Juniors twice, but I was just staying at the hotel and the rink basically because we weren't able to go out due to covid," he said. "It was in the winter and it pretty cold outside. It's nice to be here in the summer and getting to know all the people and the organization."
Both players are expected to compete for spots on their respective World Junior Teams for a return to Edmonton in August. After that, they will return to the University of Vermont where head coach Jay Woodcroft's brother Todd will be there to oversee their development.
"Todd is a great coach, I learned a lot of new stuff from him. His pregame meeting and his skills sessions were really great," Munzenberger said. "Jay's a great guy too, I really enjoy talking to him. He's a very open person. I've not really experienced him as a coach, but from personal experience, it's very easy to talk to him. I met him at the airport because we were on the same flight from Montreal back to Edmonton. it's been great meeting Todd's brother."
Well, if another season of development goes well for Maatta and Munzenberger in Vermont, hopefully they will no longer be referring to Jay as 'Todd's brother'.