Edmonton Oilers prospect Josh Samanski will be joining Leon Draisaitl at the Winter Olympics. The German team announced their roster on Wednesday and on the squad is Samanski, who is currently playing extremely well for the Oilers' AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors.
Samanski has 5-20-25/+6 in 32 GP for the Condor this season. He is earning a solid reputation for his tireless work ethic and tracking to be an impact NHL player far sooner than scouts expected. He'd been playing a lot with Ike Howard and Quinn Hutson.
🇩🇪 German 2026 Olympic Winter Games roster is out!➡️
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 7, 2026
Athlete participation requires confirmation by their respective NOC.@deb_teams@olympics@nhl@nhlpa#Olympics#NHL#IIHFpic.twitter.com/D0ULSVEnBH
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The team, while not stacked like Team Canada or Team USA, does have a handful of very solid NHLers. Among them are Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators and Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings.
One fan wrote of Samanski, "Samanski is my favorite prospect this season. What a personality and a great range of skills. Legit 3C potential." Interestingly, the Oilers are looking for a third-line center, and have been for some time.
This Olympic appearance will be a great showcase for him, and with Draisaitl there and working alongside the young forward, one has to wonder if he'll get an advocate in his corner.
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