NHL.com has released a projected roster for Team Germany ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The lineup features five NHL forwards, including Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle, alongside European talent. This marks the first Olympic participation for NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Games.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will open on Feb. 6, with the men's ice hockey tournament beginning preliminary games on Feb. 11 and concluding with the gold-medal game on Feb. 22. Each team will carry 25 players: 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies. Official rosters are expected to be named around Jan. 1, but NHL.com/de correspondent Christian Rupp has offered his predictions for Team Germany, blending NHL experience with domestic standouts.
Forwards
The forward group is anchored by five NHL players: Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators, JJ Peterka of the Utah Mammoth, Nico Sturm of the Minnesota Wild and Lukas Reichel of the Vancouver Canucks. All are marked with an asterisk as preliminary roster selections from June 16.
Other forwards include Dominik Kahun (Lausanne), Tom Kuhnhackl (Mannheim), Marc Michaelis (Mannheim), Leo Pfoderl (Eisbären Berlin), Tobias Rieder (München), Josh Samanski (Bakersfield), Justin Schutz (München), Wojciech Stachowiak (Syracuse) and Frederik Tiffels (Eisbären Berlin).
Draisaitl could line up with longtime friends Kahun and Michaelis, who combined for 291 points in Germany's under-16 league during the 2009-10 season. Germany boasts depth at center with Draisaitl, Stutzle and Sturm, a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2022 with Colorado Avalanche, 2025 with Florida Panthers) known for faceoffs and penalty killing. Speedy options like Stutzle, Peterka and Reichel are expected to drive a high-pace game.
Veterans Kuhnhackl (Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 with Pittsburgh Penguins) and Rieder (2023 Swedish Hockey League champion with Vaxjo) could return after Germany's ninth-place finish at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Pfoderl, a four-time DEL champion (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), may edge out injured teammate Marcel Noebels.
Defensemen
Defense remains a challenge without a deep pool of elite options, though Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings will captain after leading at the 2025 Worlds. The group includes Leon Gawanke (Mannheim), Korbinian Geibel (Eisbären Berlin), Leon Hüttl (Ingolstadt), Lukas Kalble (Mannheim), Jonas Muller (Eisbären Berlin), Moritz Muller (Köln) and Maksymilian Szuber (Tucson).
Szuber brings AHL experience and one NHL game with Arizona in 2023-24. Geibel, a 23-year-old two-way defenseman, scored a goal and averaged 16:08 of ice time in seven games at the 2025 Worlds.
Goalies
Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken headlines the netminders, a 2018 Stanley Cup champion with Washington and 2021 Vezina finalist with Colorado. Maximilian Franzreb (Mannheim) and Arno Tiefensee (Idaho, Dallas prospect) round out the trio, with Franzreb off to a strong start in Germany's top league.