With nine debutants to Sochi

DEL goalkeeper of the year Dustin Strahlmeier and eight other newcomers at the new final in Russia / DEG legend Daniel Kreutzer behind the boards

With nine debutants, the German national ice hockey team will play two duels against Olympic champions Russia in Sochi on April 6 and 7. As part of the Euro Hockey Challenge, national coach Marco Sturm's team has two opportunities to take revenge for the unfortunate 3:4 defeat in the Olympic final in Pyeongchang.

For the DEBteam begins its immediate preparation for the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Herning/Denmark (May 4th – 20th, 2018). Keeper Dustin Strahlmeier (Schwenninger Wild Wings), who was voted goalkeeper of the year in the DEL.

“We consciously give the newcomers the chance to show themselves at a high level for the first time. The boys face two big challenges, especially with the two games against Russia. Such indicators are optimal for their further development, regardless of the results,” said Sturm, referring to his completely revamped team compared to the Olympic Games.

In addition to Strahlmeier, his Schwenningen teammate Tim Bender is also in the squad for the first time. Sturm also nominated three debutants from the Augsburger Panthern. There are also Fabio Wagner and David Elsner (ERC Ingolstadt) as well as the two North American talents Marc Michaelis (Minnesota State University) and Nico Sturm (Clarkson University). With 32 international matches, Nico Krämmer (Kölner Haie) has the most international experience in the 22-man squad, closely followed by Bernhard Ebner (Düsseldorfer EG) with 31 missions.

The first phase of the World Cup preparations will also see a debut in the coaching team. In addition to head coach Marco Sturm and his assistant Tobias Abstreiter, DEG legend Daniel Kreutzer will also be behind the bench. "Daniel also wants to develop further in this area and has offered to support us in Sochi. We are of course very happy that he is here and can help the young players in particular with his great experience," said Sturm.

At the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, the German national team can expect perfect conditions and, with Russia as their counterpart, a repeat of the gold medal game in Pyeongchang. The game on Friday (06.04./18.30 p.m.) will be shown on the SPORT1 live stream, the game on Saturday (07.04./16.00 p.m.) on free TV.

Squad: