Michael Bitzer

Michael Bitzer is an American/German ice hockey goaltender currently playing in the DEL2. He was an All-American for Bemidji State.
==Playing career==
After graduating from Moorhead High School, Bitzer played two seasons of junior hockey for the Lincoln Stars. He put up respectable if unspectacular numbers but was able to earn a scholarship to Bemidji State University. As soon as he debuted for the Beavers, Bitzer began to rewrite their record book. He finished 4th in the nation for goals against average as a freshman and was named as the WCHA Rookie of the Year, the only Beaver so honored. Both he and Bemidji State regressed slightly during his sophomore year but Bitzer rebounded in spectacular fashion as a junior. He posted some of the best goaltending numbers for the season and was named as a first team All-American. He led Bemidji State to a first-place finish in the WCHA and was named the league Player of the Year. Unfortunately, BSU lost in the conference semifinals and was left out of the NCAA Tournament.
After wrapping up his college career with a solid senior season, Bitzer signed with the Idaho Steelheads for the remainder of the 2018 season. That offseason, he signed with the Rapid City Rush but his tenure there proved to be short-lived. Bitzer did not perform well in his first full season as a pro and found himself relegated to being the team's third goaltender. On New Years Day, he was traded to the Atlanta Gladiators as a fulfilment of a previous trade. He improved a bit with his new surroundings but he was limited to just 9 games over the final three months of the season.
After the disappointing year, Bitzer travelled to Germany and spent two years with ETC Crimmitschau in the second German league. In October 2021, Bitzer signed a contract with the Wichita Thunder and was expecting to return to the ECHL. The arrangement ended up falling through, however, and Bitzer remained in Germany. He ended up signing with Selber Wölfe, who had just received a promotion to DEL2 from the Oberliga.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	W 	L 	T/OTL	MIN 	GA 	SO	GAA 	SV%
2008–09 	Moorhead High School	MN-HS 	 	8 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	2.32	–
2009–10 	Moorhead High School	MN-HS 	 	10 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	1.87	.920
2010–11 	Moorhead High School	MN-HS 	 	24 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	2.96	.926
2011–12 	Moorhead High School	MN-HS 	 	24 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	2.02	.927
2011–12 	Alexandria Blizzard 	NAHL 	 	4 	3 	0 	1 	241 	8 	1 	2.00	.915
2012–13 	Lincoln Stars 	USHL 	 	38 	22	11	1 	2023 	91 	1 	2.70	.905
2013–14 	Lincoln Stars 	USHL 	 	51 	19	19	6 	2801 	148	0 	3.17	.903
2014–15 	Bemidji State 	WCHA 	 	28 	14	11	3 	1730 	52 	4 	1.80	.929
2015–16 	Bemidji State 	WCHA 	 	34 	13	16	5 	1946 	70 	6 	2.16	.915
2016–17 	Bemidji State 	WCHA 	 	39 	22	14	3 	2355 	67 	6 	1.71	.932
2017–18 	Bemidji State 	WCHA 	 	37 	16	13	8 	2196 	82 	5 	2.24	.909
2017–18 	Idaho Steelheads 	ECHL 	 	3 	2 	1 	0 	183 	7 	0 	2.30	.887
2018–19 	Rapid City Rush 	ECHL 	 	12 	3 	6 	1 	594 	36 	0 	3.64	.882
2018–19 	Atlanta Gladiators 	ECHL 	 	9 	3 	3 	1 	440 	24 	1 	3.27	.887
2019–20 	ETC Crimmitschau 	DEL2 	 	43 	19	24	0 	2587 	147	0 	3.41	.889
2020–21 	ETC Crimmitschau 	DEL2 	 	29 	16	11	0 	1684 	88 	1 	3.14	.897
USHL totals	USHL totals 	USHL totals	 	89 	41	30	7 	4,824	239	1 	2.97	.904
NCAA totals	NCAA totals 	NCAA totals	 	138	65	54	19 	8,227	271	21	1.98	.921
ECHL totals	ECHL totals 	ECHL totals	 	24 	8 	10	2 	1,217	67 	1 	3.30	.884
DEL2 totals	DEL2 totals 	DEL2 totals	 	72 	35	35	0 	4,271	235	1 	3.30	.892
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Awards and honors==
Award 	Year 	
WCHA All-Rookie Team 	2014–15	
All-WCHA First Team 	2016–17	
AHCA West First Team All-American	2016–17	
All-WCHA Second Team 	2017–18	
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Category:German ice hockey goaltenders
Category:Ice hockey players from Minnesota
Category:AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Category:Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey players
Category:Idaho Steelheads players
Category:Rapid City Rush players
Category:Atlanta Gladiators players
Category:ETC Crimmitschau players