Evan Kaufmann

Playing career

Kaufmann, who is Jewish, was born in Plymouth, Minnesota and graduated from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School at Plymouth in 2003. His great-grandparents were murdered during the Holocaust. At the University of Minnesota, Kaufmann played on the Golden Gophers hockey team and studied accounting at the Carlson School of Management. Kaufmann was a Western Collegiate Hockey Association scholar-athlete pick all four years at Minnesota.

Kaufmann moved to Germany in 2008 and received German citizenship in order to play for the national team, DEG Metro Stars of Deutsche Eishockey Liga. He is among the top scorers in the league. Kaufmann admits that his teammates are very curious about him being Jewish and often ask him questions. Kaufmann told the UK's Daily Mail: "I didn't have to think hard about it. It is a great honour but it will also be a very emotional moment for me when I hear the national anthem played."

On February 16, 2012, Kaufmann agreed to leave DEG at season's end and signed with fellow DEL club, Nürnberg Ice Tigers, where he played through the 2014-15 season. In July 2015, he announced his retirement from ice hockey. He played a total of 315 games in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and won 17 caps for the German Men's National Team, including seven outings at the 2012 World Championships.

Career Update

Since retiring from professional hockey, Kaufmann took some much needed time away from the ice and now works as an investment banking analyst. He thoroughly enjoys his new line of work, where he uses his years of experience on the ice and charming persona to execute high-stressed mergers and acquisitions. In his last public interview, Kaufmann states, "I'm really enjoying my time away from hockey. This new job has been a different kind of challenge, and I very much enjoy the people I work with. I think this is a new calling for me, and I really hope to make a long, successful career out of it."