Leon Draisaitl’s Olympic journey just got even more prestigious. The Edmonton Oilers superstar has been named captain of Germany’s national team for the 2026 Milan Olympics.
NHL insider Chris Johnston broke the news on Monday via X announcing that Draisaitl will lead the German squad with Tim Stutzle and Moritz Seider serving as alternate captains.
Fans were quick to react to the announcement with many celebrating the decision while others suggested Draisaitl deserves similar recognition with his NHL club. Following are some fan reactions from X:
“Should be captain in Edmonton too.”
“Draisaitl looks formidable wearing the NT jersey tbh. He pretty much looks like a true ancient Germanic chieftain leading his host to the battle,” wrote one user.
Fans voiced confidence in Germany’s leadership decision.
“Germany knows ball,” commented another user.
“Crazy for him to beat the odds,” read one comment.
“Excellent choices from the German coaches!!!!!” wrote another fan.
Draisaitl also carried Germany’s flag alongside ski jumper Katharina Schmid at the Opening Ceremony after receiving 51% of fan votes.
Leon Draisaitl Admits Germany Will Be Underdogs in Olympic Campaign
Germany enters the Milan Olympics with legitimate medal aspirations with nine NHL players on their 25-man roster. In addition to Draisaitl, Stutzle and Seider, the squad includes stars like goaltender Philipp Grubauer, forwards JJ Peterka, Lukas Reichel, Nico Sturm and defensemen Josh Samanski and Wojciech Stachowiak.
However, Leon Draisaitl isn’t sugarcoating Germany’s chances at the Milan Olympics. The Oilers superstar openly acknowledged that his team will face an uphill battle in their quest for a medal.
“We are coming here trying to win,” Draisaitl stated earlier this week. “We know we’re going to be an underdog in the majority of the games we play, but we have some great players and German hockey has come a long, long way.”
“I’m just going to try to do my part to help our team be as successful as we can and hopefully we’re going to achieve what we want to achieve,” he added.
The Germans will face their first test on Thursday when they take on Denmark at 3:10 p.m. ET. Germany is grouped in Group C alongside the United States, Latvia and Denmark.
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