Oilers prospect Josh Samanski named to Germany’s Olympic roster

The Edmonton Oilers will have a third player make an Olympic roster. 

Prospect Josh Samanski will be on the Team Germany roster for the upcoming Milan-Cortina games from Feb. 11-22, joining Leon Draisaitl for the Olympics. The Erding, Germany native signed a two-year, entry-level contract in April to play his first season of North American pro hockey. 

In September, after appearances at Oilers’ training camp, Samanski was asked about the potential to be Olympics-bound. 

“I mean, if you don’t think that, I think you’re in the wrong sport,” said Samanski. “We’re all high-performance athletes. I thought I presented myself very well in the World Championships, but that’s in the past.” 

“Now I’m just trying to do the best I can moving forward, and trying to make the coach have a hard decision not to pick me.”

Samanski has fit right in with the Bakersfield Condors. He’s appeared in 32 games for the club, scoring five goals and 25 points, good enough for fourth on the team in scoring. 

He’s spent most of the season as the first line centre for the Condors, alongside the likes of Quinn Hutson, Isaac Howard and Roby Jarventie, who have rotated with him.

Previously, Samanski played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with the Straubing Tigers for the past four seasons. He appeared in 193 games, scoring 40 goals and 93 points. His final season, as an assistant captain, he racked up 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games. 

Samanski represented Germany at the 2025 World Championships, where he scored five points in seven games at the tournament. He previously played for the 2021 and 2022 World Junior teams. 

Samanski did play junior hockey for two seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League with the Brantford 99ers/Milton Icehawks, and then advanced to major junior to play with the Owen Sound Attack in 2019-20.

Team Germany will also feature former Oiler Dominik Kahun, who played 48 games in the 2020-21 season, and Tobias Reider, who played with the Oilers in 2018-19. Kahun left the Oilers to sign overseas, spending the last five years in Switzerland, while Reider spent three seasons in the SHL, and the most recent two in the DEL.

Another former Oiler, Patrick Russell, who parts of four seasons with the organization between 2017-17 and 2020-21, was named to the Denmark’s Olympic Roster.