Germany Announces 2022 Olympic Roster
With less than three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Germany is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, announcing a roster that will try to follow up their silver medal performance from 2018. It’s not a group that is very familiar to NHL fans, though there are a few names that will ring a bell from their time in North America.
The full roster:
G Danny Aus den Birken
G Felix Bruckmann
G Mathias Niederberger
D Konrad Abeltshauser
D Dominik Bittner
D Marcel Brandt
D Korbinian Holzer
D Jonas Muller
D Moritz Muller
D Marco Nowak
D Fabio Wagner
F Lean Bergmann
F Yasin Ehliz
F Patrick Hager
F Dominik Kahun
F Nicolas Krammer
F Tom Kuhnhackl
F Stefan Loibl
F Marcel Noebels
F Daniel Pietta
F Matthias Plachta
F Leonhard Pfoderl
F Tobias Rieder
F Frederik Tiffles
F David Wolf
Once again this is a very veteran roster, with no young players really involved. Most of the European countries have gone this route, while the U.S. and Canada have both included some of the country’s top college and junior players. For Germany, who currently sit fifth in IIHF World Ranking, ahead of Czechia and Sweden, this is an important tournament and another chance to show what their homegrown talent and systems can do when the NHL is not participating.
Minor Transactions: 9/5/18
September is upon us, but the hockey futures of many players are still up in the air. While high-profile NHL unrestricted and restricted free agents still remain in the hunt for a big league contract, others are sorting out minor league deals and tryout agreements:
- The Boston Bruins inked veteran defenseman Mark Fayne and German import Marcel Noebels to PTO’s yesterday, but they’ve added another tryout to the camp roster as well. Appearing with the group slated to begin the preseason in Boston, rather than on the road in China, is defenseman Joel Messner. Messner, a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, was a four year starter for the Mavericks and captained the team last season. The 24-year-old blue liner scored more points last year, 23, than he did in his previous three campaigns combined, showing some remaining potential to his game. Given the Bruins dramatic defensive depth, both at the NHL and AHL level, Messner may be only be trying out for a two-way minor league deal to perhaps headline the Bruins’ ECHL defensive unit with the Atlanta Gladiators. Nonetheless, he could make for an intriguing player to watch for in camp.
- Tyler Soy, an unsigned 2016 seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, has stuck with the organization. Soy signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Gulls today, the Ducks’ AHL affiliate announced. The 21-year-old center played two games with the Gulls at the tail end of the 2016-17 season and must have made a good impression. He also finished second in scoring for the WHL’s Victoria Royals last year, registering 92 points in 66 games. Soy has the ability to be a difference-maker in the AHL and could soon re-establish himself as an NHL prospect.
- The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, have re-signed forward David Gust to a one-year deal, the team announced. Gust, a first-year pro last season, led all Condors rookies with 13 goals and 24 points. The 24-year-old right wing is a former Ohio State standout, recording 41 points in 39 games as a senior. Bakersfield hopes to see some of that upside in the coming season.
- Gasper Kopitar, brother of L.A.’s Anze Kopitar, is staying in the system. The ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs have announced a one-year extension for their Slovenian superstar. Kopitar was under contract, but did not play for the Monarchs last season due to injury. Healthy and re-committed, he is back to work with Manchester. With this deal, the Kings organization has now kept the younger Kopitar employed in North America for more than five years, even though he has never played above the ECHL level. Although New Hampshire is quite a ways from California, it is surely a gesture that the Kings’ captain appreciates.
Bruins Interested In Signing Marcel Noebels
The Bruins have interest in signing German forward Marcel Noebels, agent Allain Roy acknowledged to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. However, despite a report out of Germany earlier this week suggesting that a deal is done, that is not the case as Roy stated that they are in discussions with Boston but “there’s nothing concrete yet”.
The 26-year-old was originally drafted in 2011 by the Flyers in the fourth round (118th overall) and actually spent two years in Philadelphia’s minor league system. In that span, he put up 34 points in 95 AHL games and 30 points in 31 ECHL contests before deciding to go back home in 2014.
The 26-year-old has spent the last four seasons with Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL and is coming off of a particularly strong 2018 postseason that saw him finished tied for sixth overall in scoring with 14 points in 18 games. He also suited up for the Germans at both the Olympics and World Championships.
It’s unlikely that Noebels would contend for a roster spot right away with the Bruins so he’d likely be heading for AHL Providence if a deal is reached.