For the men's national team of the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEBThe German national team begins the fourth and final phase of its preparations for the 2026 IIHF World Championship today, Wednesday. Head coach Harold Kreis has nominated a total of 28 players who will train in Mannheim over the coming days for the international match against the USA – the final test before departing for Switzerland. The game against the reigning Olympic and World Champions will take place on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at the SAP Arena. Tip-off is at 17 p.m. Only a few tickets remain for the international match. The game against the USA will be broadcast live and free of charge on MagentaTV and is included with a MagentaSport subscription.
There are changes to the squad in all areas compared to last week. From phase four onwards, Maximilian Franzreb will be in goal (Adler Mannheim) and Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken) are on the roster. As planned, defenseman Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings) is also on the roster and will join team training to assess his readiness for the World Championship.
Leon Gawanke also adds (Adler Mannheim) the DEB-Selection in defense. For the offense, Alexander Ehl and Marc Michaelis (both Adler MannheimIn addition, Joshua Samanski (Edmonton Oilers) is expected in Mannheim on Friday. The players of the German champions Eisbären Berlin They will join the national team squad only after the upcoming training week has concluded. The coaching staff for the final phase of World Championship preparation and the World Championship in Switzerland will be completed by Rob Leask (assistant coach) and Florian Keinz (video analyst).
National coach Harold Kreis on phase four: “We’ve grown together as a team over the past few weeks and are seeing consistently positive progress. We want to build on this and continue working on the details in this final phase before departure. For the players, it’s also about showcasing their abilities one last time and securing a potential World Championship berth. We’re looking forward to the reinforcements joining us and to the final tough test in Mannheim. The USA is a formidable opponent who will demand everything from us as preparation for what awaits us at the World Championship. Our sincere thanks also go to the players who are no longer with us at this stage and who have contributed to the World Championship preparation so far.”
World Cup preparation 2026, Men's National Team
April 16.04.2026, XNUMX | Czech Republic - Germany | 5:3 (1:0, 1:2, 3:1)
April 17.04.2026, XNUMX | Czech Republic - Germany | 4:1 (2:0, 1:0, 1:1)
23.04.2026 | Germany – Slovakia | 3:1 (0:1, 2:0, 1:0)
25.04.2026 | Germany – Slovakia | 3:1 (0:0, 2:1, 1:0)
30.04.2026 | Austria – Germany | 3:4 (0:1, 1:1, 2:2)
02.05.2026 | Germany – Austria | 5:2 (2:0, 1:0, 2:2)
10.05.2026/17/00 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – USA (Mannheim)