2026 Winter Olympic Women’s Hockey Preview: Germany

One of the underdog nations heading into this year’s women’s ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics is looking to make the most of its first appearance on the big stage in a long time.

Germany is part of the lower-tiered Group B, but they have the talent and experience that can carry the team beyond the group stage.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

While the Germans have been playing in the top division at the IIHF Women’s World Championship for the better part of a decade, the team hasn’t played on the Olympic stage since Sochi in 2014. No player on the current roster was on that team.

After failing to qualify for the Winter Games two times in a row, the third time was the charm for Träger der Adler. Twin sisters Luisa and Lilli Welcke, as well as goaltender Sandra Abstreiter, helped punch the nation’s ticket to the Olympics. The positive for Germany is that 19 players who helped the team qualify for the tournament will be in Milan next month.

OFFENSE

One benefit Germany has more than some other teams in the tournament is a great sense of familiarity, as a lot of players are coming from the DFEL, the country’s top women’s league, most notably from ECDC Memmingen and Eisbären Juniors Berlin. However, their top offensive weapons come from players on the other side of the pond.

Laura Kluge has been one of the leaders on the national team for quite some time and has been one of Germany’s most prolific scorers as well. The former St. Cloud State Husky can score in a variety of ways and in various situations. It’s why she has been in the PWHL for the last couple of years, spending last season with the Toronto Sceptres before signing with the Boston Fleet this year.

The Welcke sisters are both playing at Boston University, and have been a couple of the Terriers’ more reliable scoring threats, with the two currently sitting in the top five in team scoring. They’ve always found ways to be productive on the international stage, and will need to do so again if Germany wants to be successful. Another college product, St. Cloud State forward Svenja Voigt, scored some big goals for Germany during the qualifiers and is expected to have a big role in the tournament.

After that, it’s a collage for the DFEL’s best. Franziska Feldmeier and Jule Schiefer were in the top 10 in scoring last year in the league, with Feldmeier sitting second in the DFEL with 24 points in 22 games. It’s only been a couple of seasons since Nicola Hadraschek-Eisenschmid led the league with 45 points in 24 games. She currently has 23 points in just 18 games for Memmingen. Expect scoring to come by committee for this group in the opening round.

DEFENSE

The back end has been one of the team’s biggest strengths in recent years at the Women’s Worlds. A solid structure with a couple of talented players, Germany has been tough to get through, especially in the preliminary round.

Leading the D-Corps is Nina Jobst-Smith. A third-round pick of the Vancouver Goldeneyes, the North Vancouver native has been part of the senior national team since the 2021 Women’s Worlds, showing she cane ba solid player in her own end, while contributing offensively. At five world championships, she’s scored a point in all but one tournament, with her worst plus/minus being a -3 last year in Czechia. Jobst-Smith is getting back in the swing of things after missing the first couple of months of the PWHL season with a lower-body injury.

Daria Gleibner is an intriguing player. It was just a couple of seasons ago that she finished fourth in DFEL with 37 points. Her scoring touch has been limited on the world stage, but at age 32, she brings a wealth of experience that can drive Germany from the back end.

Ronja Hark is another player worth keeping an eye on in this tournament. Playing alongside Gleibner with Memmingen, the 22-year-old is second in the DFEL in defensive scoring with 12 points in eight games. A very solid rearguard isn’t going to be caught out of position very often.

I’m curious to see how 17-year-old Hanna Weichenhain does in her second tour of senior national team duty. The Memmingen defender was hurt during the D1A Under-18s last month, but can bring a youthful spark to the blue line.

GOALTENDING

Sandra Abstreiter. That’s where this story begins and ends. No disrespect to Lisa Hemmerle or Chiara Schultes, but Abstreiter is Germany’s No. 1 goaltender, and has held the role for some time. She was named the WWC’s best netminder in 2024, and was pretty good at the Women’s Worlds last year, even though she didn’t play a single game with the Montreal Victoire heading into the tournament.

She’s already played a couple of games with Montreal this season, though she might not play again until the break. You’ll find that Abstreiter is at her best when she’s peppered with shots. When she gets into a rhythm, she becomes a very difficult person to score on. Given that Germany will face a couple of solid offenses in the opening round, and whoever they would face in the quarters, the 27-year-old has the ability to drag her team into a dogfight.

COACHING

Jeff MacLeod is back behind the bench for Germany, a role he’s held since June 2023. The former Halifax Mooseheads assistant has guided the Germans to a pair of quarterfinal appearances at the Women’s Worlds, while also helping the Under-18 program. The 54-year-old has a wealth of experience in both European and North American hockey. He played for 7 years in the DEL and also served as a coach for Ingolstadt’s junior team.

A one-time member of Canada’s Spengler Cup roster, MacLeod has the familiarity with his players that can help create an atmosphere in the locker room that inspires his players toward a potentially extended run in Milan.

BURNING QUESTION

Can Germany generate offense in the knockout round?

While Germany has managed to be competitive in the second-tier group in previous international tournaments, they’ve only come close to winning in the quarters because of goaltending. Even in the year they won Group B in 2024, they were ousted by Czechia, 1-0. Even though they’ve held the Americans to three goals in the 2023 and 2025 quarterfinals, the Germans haven’t scored a goal beyond the group stage since the 2017 Women’s Worlds, when they stunned Germany to get to the semifinals.

If Germany does finish in the top three in Group B, they need to find something deep within themselves to play without fear, and not simply park the bus against a stronger opponent. Kluge, the Welckes, Feldmeier…they can all score if put in the right position. If the team comes out against a USA or Canada with some angst and salt, they might finally be able to score in the knockout stage.

PREDICTION

Given that they’re in Group B, there’s a pretty clear path to the quarterfinals. They might need a hero to beat Sweden, and Japan certainly won’t be an easy team to beat, but going up against France and Italy, the Germans have the firepower to at least finish in the top three.

Now, the knockout stage will be difficult, given that they might be facing anywhere from the U.S. to Czechia. With that, I expect Germany to be out in the quarterfinals…unless Abstreiter plays out of her mind.

FULL ROSTER

Forwards

Anne Bartsch (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Nina Christof (RPI, NCAA)
Franziska Feldmeier (Eisbären Juniors Berlin, DFEL)
Nicola Hadraschek-Eisenschmid (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Cleina Haider (Eisbären Juniors Berlin, DFEL)
Mathilda Heine (Eisbären Juniors Berlin, DFEL)
Laura Kluge (Boston Fleet, PWHL)
Emily Nix (Frölunda HC, SDHL)
Jule Schiefer (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Svenja Voigt (St. Cloud State, NCAA)
Lille Welcke (Boston University, NCAA)
Luisa Welcke (Boston University, NCAA)

Defenders

Daria Gleibner (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Ronja Hark (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Hanna Hoppe (ESC Dresden, DFEL)
Nina Jobst-Smith (Vancouver Goldeneyes, PWHL)
Charlott Schaffrath (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Tara Schmitz (Mad Dogs Mannheim, DFEL)
Carina Strobel (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)
Hanna Weichenhain (ECDC Memmingen Indians, DFEL)

Goaltenders

Sandra Abstreiter (Montreal Victoire, PWHL)
Lisa Hemmerle (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Chiara Schultes (Villard-de-Lans, France U20)

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

• Thursday, Feb. 5: Sweden vs. Germany, 6:10 a.m. ET
• Saturday, Feb. 7: Germany vs. Japan, 6:10 a.m. ET
• Monday, Feb. 9: Germany vs. France, 10:40 a.m. ET
  Tuesday, Feb. 10: Italy vs. Germany, 10:40 a.m. ET

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