Can Germany surprise with its best Olympic hockey team ever?
With the men’s ice hockey tournament set to get underway this week at the Winter Olympics, there are many countries people are tabbing as favorites. However, there’s one team that could provide some excitement.
Germany might not be on everyone’s radar as a medal favorite, but when looking at who they’re bringing to Milan, you would be mistaken to take them lightly.
First off, they have one of the premier goal scorers in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl. They have other talented scoring threats in Tim Stutzle and JJ Peterka. Not to mention they have the bruising Moritz Seider, who could be a factor on the smaller ice sheet.
During Daily Faceoff’s Milan Games Men’s Hockey Roundtable preview, Pete Blackburn and Uffe Bodin explained to Jeff Marek why Germany might be a team worth watching.
Jeff Marek: “Which underdog team are you most excited to watch?
Pete Blackburn: “I’ll go with Germany. And part of it is they’re in a group C with USA, but Germany has really strong pillars up front and on the blue line. You have arguably a top five player at both positions with Leon Draisaitl and Mo Seider. That to me is very interesting. They’re not the most well-rounded roster in terms of NHL guys across the board, but there are a number of really good secondary options. Like a guy like JJ Paterka, Nico Sturm. They’ve got an opportunity here to at least at the very least be a disruptor and somebody that can be a tough out. To see that and see Germany on the rise is pretty exciting in terms of what they’re able to produce.
Uffe Bodin: “I have to agree with Pete. As a Sweden I envy their top players. We don’t have a Leon Draisaitl on our team, or maybe not even a Mo Seider, the way he’s playing. But most curious for me is Phillip Grubauer. I was writing him off last year. It seemed like he was heading for the scrap pile or something. But he’s been really solid for the Seattle Kraken this season and sort of found a second wind in his career. And it’s going to be interesting to see if he can utilize that in the Olympics as well, because that is really the X-factor for Germany right now. They don’t have the depth that the other top teams have, but just being top-heavy and being able to rely upon these really good top players. So I expect them to at least make it to the quarterfinals and make it really hard for anyone they play there.”
You can watch the full segment below: