Germany Announces First 6 Names For 2026 Winter Olympics Team

The tournament will consist of 12 teams. As expected, there is not going to be a Team Russia. The 12 teams will be separated into groups, which are as follows: Group A features Canada, Czechia, France, and Switzerland. Group B includes Finland, Italy, Sweden, and Slovakia. Lastly, Group C has Denmark, Germany, Latvia, and the United States. The hockey tournament will take place on February 11th and run until the 22nd.

Now onto the first six players on Team Germany’s preliminary roster.

Leon Draisaitl

To the surprise of no one, Leon Draisaitl has been named to the first six players for Team Germany. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him also be named the captain of the country for the 2026 Winter Games. The Edmonton Oilers star forward led the NHL in goals with 52, which is his fourth time reaching the 50-goal mark and the seventh time hitting the 100-point mark. At 29 years old, he is easily one of the best players in the NHL and has shown that for the last number of seasons. Unfortunately, he has yet to play at the Olympics but has played for Germany at the World Championships five times and played for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer has been named as the goalie for Team Germany. He has spent his NHL career split between the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and the Seattle Kraken. He has a record of 166-139-33 with a 2.65 GAA and a .908 SV%. In this last season with the Kraken, he had an 8-17-1 record with a 3.49 GAA and a .875 SV% in 26 games. Grubauer’s career has slowly started to slip, and he has been replaced as the starting goalie for Seattle. However, he can start to prepare to represent Germany again at the Olympics in 2026, which will be his time.

Lukas Reichel

The Chicago Blackhawks youngster will be a big part of Germany’s future at international tournaments, and it starts with the upcoming Olympics. This past season, he set a career-high in points with 22. He had eight goals and 14 assists in 70 games. This will be his fourth time playing for Germany on the international stage but the first at the Olympics.

Moritz Seider

The former Calder Trophy winner in 2021-22, Moritz Seider has been a force on the blue line for the Detroit Red Wings. He had seven goals and 43 assists for 50 points in all 82 games this season. In his career, he has 29 goals and 151 assists for 180 points in 328 games. He has not missed a game for the Red Wings in his first four seasons. He has played for Germany five times at the World Championships, which includes a silver medal in 2023.

Nico Sturm

He may not be the biggest NHL name, but Nico Sturm is one of the best German hockey players in the NHL. After starting the season with the San Jose Sharks, he was dealt to the Florida Panthers, where he is just one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. The 30-year-old has already won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche back in 2022. In 331 NHL games, he has scored 46 goals and 46 assists for 92 points. He has yet to play for Germany at the Olympics but has played for them at other international tournaments.

Tim Stützle

Tim Stützle is widely considered to be the second-best German hockey player in the NHL behind only Draisaitl, which is why it doesn’t come as a surprise that he was named to the roster this early. He led the Ottawa Senators in points this year with 79. He scored 24 goals and had 55 assists in 82 games. He also had two goals and three assists for five points against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 23-year-old has played for Germany at the international level, which includes the World Championships and World Juniors twice.

The 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina will be the first time in 12 years that NHL players will be allowed to participate in the Olympic Winter Games.