Team Germany Names Three First Players For Olympics

Leon Draisaitl, Philipp Grubauer and Moritz Seider have all been selected by Team Germany as their first players for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Some familiar faces will join @deb_teams from the @NHL and go for gold at @Beijing2022.

More info 👉 https://t.co/ZUknuqtwVb @EdmontonOilers @DetroitRedWings @SeattleKraken pic.twitter.com/ysNtOcp70c
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) October 8, 2021

Draisaitl is not a surprising choice in the slightest. He is one of the best players in the NHL and these last few seasons showed that perfectly. During the 2019-20 season alone, he won the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Memorial Trophy. In 56 games this past season with the Edmonton Oilers, he also scored 31 goals and recorded 84 points.

Grubauer just had a marvelous season with the Colorado Avalanche himself. In 40 games, he had a 30-9-1 record, 1.95 GAA and .922 SV%. Although he did not end up winning the Vezina Trophy, he certainly was worthy of consideration. His spectacular play over these last few seasons was enough for him to land a six-year, $35.4 million contract with the Seattle Kraken this summer.

It's very exciting see that Seider is not only playing for Germany at the Olympics, but also was one of the team's first picks. The 2019 sixth overall pick is on the verge of playing his first NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings. He has an immense amount of potential to become something big in the league. In 41 games last season with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, he scored seven goals and had 21 assists.