Ice hockey at the Olympics
NHL stars in the Olympic squad: DEL top scorers stay at home
For many it is the best German ice hockey team that has ever existed. But for some it is bitter: a number of DEL top scorers are not included in the squad nomination.
The best possible German Olympic ice hockey team with all NHL top stars is perfect. However, the best German DEL scorers fell victim to the first Olympic meeting of world stars from the North American league since 2014.
When world-class professionals such as Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stützle, Moritz Seider and Philipp Grubauer all appear together for the national team for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan in a month, a number of DEB greats from previous years will be missing.
“We will have the best team of all time. But so will the opponents. It’s a good indicator for German ice hockey,” said striker Nico Sturm from Minnesota Wild – one of nine North American professionals taking part in the Olympics.
With Daniel Fischbuch (Mannheim) and Marcel Noebels (Berlin), however, two runners-up from 2023 are missing. The top strikers Leo Pförderl (Berlin) and Yasin Ehliz (Munich) – both Olympic silver medalists from 2018 – were also not taken into account. Ex-NHL attacker Tobias Rieder (Munich), a prominent professional, is in the squad for a major tournament for the first time since 2022.
Risk when nominating Wissmann
National coach Harold Kreis is taking the biggest risk by naming Kai Wissmann, who has been missing for months due to an Achilles tendon injury. Contrary to Kreis’ expectations, the Eisbären Berlin’s important defender is still unable to play, but should be able to play in the DEL in the next few weeks.
Although it is unclear whether Wissmann will get into shape in time, the German Ice Hockey Association recommended Wissmann for the squad to the German Olympic Sports Confederation, which will officially make the nomination on January 20th. “We are convinced that the injured players will get four or five more games before we go to training camp,” said Kreis. From January 31st to February 7th, the men’s team in Bolzano is preparing for the Olympics without the NHL professionals.
In the women’s team, which is returning to the Olympic stage after twelve years, 16-year-old Mathilda Heine from the Eisbären Juniors Berlin stands out. The team of national coach Jeff MacLeoad is led by captain Daria Gleißner (Memmingen). The defender was the only one from the current squad to be nominated for Sochi 2014, but did not play at the time due to an injury. On the women’s side, there are seven players active in North America, including three from the local women’s professional league PWHL.
dpa
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