The IIHF announced the preliminary rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday, June 16, which will be held in Milan and Cortina, Italy. The hockey tournament will take place from February 11, 2026, to February 22, 2026, with the Gold Medal game being held on the last day. The 12 teams participating will be separated into three groups: Group A – Canada, Czechia, France, and Switzerland. Group B – Finland, Italy, Sweden, and Slovakia. Lastly, Group C – Denmark, Germany, Latvia, and the United States. Regarding Team Germany, they announced the first six players of their roster, which include Leon Draisaitl, Philipp Grubauer, Lukas Reichel, Moritz Seider, Nico Sturm, and Tim Stützle. Reminder: the remainder of the rosters will be announced in early 2026.
While we are still months away from the 2026 Winter Games, the question is: can Germany make the most noise as an underdog in hockey this February in Milan and Cortina?
Don’t Sleep on Germany in the 2026 Winter Olympics
The IIHF also announced the Olympic hockey schedules on Tuesday, June 17, for the group games. Germany’s first game will take place on February 12, 2026, against Denmark, Game 2 will be on February 13, 2026, against Latvia, and finally, Game 3 will be held on February 15, 2026, against the USA. It’ll be interesting to see how Germany will fare in Group C with how Latvia and Denmark have been rising on the global hockey stage, while the USA are constant participants in the medal games. However, with the NHL players being added to the Olympic rosters for the first time since 2014, Germany could be one of those fringe teams to be the biggest underdogs to make noise at the Winter Olympics.
This is the first time that all six players will participate in the Olympics for Germany. However, they have all made an impact for the German National Team over their international careers. Draisaitl has played for Germany in five World Championships. This will be Reichel’s fourth time playing for Germany internationally. Seider has played for Germany five times at the World Championships, adding a silver medal in 2023. Sturm has played for them at the World Juniors and the World Championships. Finally, Stützle has played for Germany in the World Championships and twice in the World Juniors.
Related: Germany Announces First 6 Names For 2026 Winter Olympics Team
Adding the two best German players in Draisaitl and Stützle will go a long way for the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB). Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) is the main governing body for the national teams in Germany, ranging from the senior teams to U-16. DEB-Sports director Christian Künast gave his thoughts on being able to add the NHL talent to the upcoming 2026 Olympic roster, “We expect a top-class tournament with the best players in the world. Our anticipation for this great sporting event grows even more when we see who the participating associations have already named to their initial roster. Since we can also rely on our NHL players, it was a natural choice to name the first six players from this group who are currently under contract with their NHL clubs. Of course, the DOSB will make the final nominations before the tournament starts, along with all other players who will be joining us.”
While we won’t know the rest of the roster until early 2026, at least knowing that they will have the talents of the first six will help give the Germans a chance to make it out of the Group Stage. As of now, JJ Peterka does not have a contract, but rest assured, DEB is already anticipating him being on the roster come February 2026, regardless of who he plays for in the NHL. Furthermore, the DEL, the top hockey league in Germany, has been improving over the years and producing top talent that eventually makes the jump to the NHL. Just by looking at the talent level of Reichel, Seider, and Sturm, the German hockey scene is only going up.
Some of the German players from the DEL and other leagues who could play for Germany at the Olympics could include Wojciech Stachowiak (ERC Ingolstadt), Alexander Ehl (Adler Mannheim), Marco Sternheimer (EHC Königsbrunn), Kai Wissmann (Eisbären Berlin), Jaroslav Hafenrichter (Deggendorfer SC), etc. Regardless of what the DEB does when it comes to forming their roster for the 2026 Olympics, they have the opportunity to shock the hockey landscape with the combination of NHLers, DEL, and other top-flight leagues around the world.
IIHF President Luc Tardif expressed the excitement of the NHL players being added to the Olympics, “We are pleased to welcome NHL players back to the Olympic Winter Games. For the IIHF, this is an important step in presenting ice hockey at the highest level on the world stage. Local fans and global athletes can look forward to world-class competition and unforgettable moments. This return strengthens our partnership with the NHL, NHLPA, and the IOC. We are excited about what lies ahead. I can’t wait for the Games to begin.” It will be interesting to see how Germany does in Group C with other great hockey nations who are in different places in their own right.
Related: Predicting Each Country’s “First 6” for 2026 Olympics
We will know by early 2026 what the rest of the German roster will look like. Could there be some surprises when it comes to the final Olympic roster? Possibly, as February 2026 is a few months away. Either way, do not sleep on Germany as they look to build momentum from recent World Junior and World Championship play, knowing that they will get elite-level NHL talent joining the ranks in what will be an exciting 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
Group C in Play for Germans
The hockey tournament will be held at the new 14,000-seat Milan Santa Giulia Arena, which will be slated as the main venue. The secondary venue will be the 5,700-seat Milan Rho Arena. Expect Germany to throw everything they have at their Group C games against Denmark, Latvia, and the USA. It’ll be a tough hill to climb; it’s the Olympics and hockey, it’s always a crazy time where anything can happen. The 2026 Winter Olympics will truly be the best-on-best for the first time on a stage like this since 2014. It’ll be exciting to see who comes out on top. Expect a ton of drama in the group games as all 12 teams fight for a shot at medals next February in Milan and Cortina.
