Wednesday, 07. January 2026 |
2026 Winter Olympics: Niederberger, Rieder, and Wagner in the DEB squad
Two more Red Bulls pros will support coach Harold Kreis' team at the Olympic camp for the time being.
Goaltender Mathias Niederberger, defenseman Fabio Wagner and forward Tobias Rieder are permanent members of the DEB team and will wear the German eagle on their chests from February 12. The men's national team will then start the Olympic tournament in Group C against Denmark at 21:20. They continue on February 14 against Latvia (12:10 p.m.) and close out the group on February 15 against the USA (9:10 p.m.).
Quotes on the nomination:
Mathias Niederberger: "It's always a huge honor to be on the ice for your country. And the Olympic Games are the most important sporting event in the world. Because of my Italian roots, I'm also delighted that the tournament is taking place in Milan."
Fabio Wagner: "It's the greatest thing ever for any player to be able to take part in the Olympic Games. I feel honored and I'm really looking forward to my time with the national team."
Tobias Rieder: "The Olympics are something very special. I was able to experience it once, but it was something else because of the coronavirus pandemic. The season started very well and then unfortunately the injuries came. I'm all the happier to still be able to take part. I'll be 100% fit again by the tournament."
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For all three participating players from the four-time German champions, this will be the second Olympic Games in their careers. Niederberger, Wagner and Rieder were also part of the German national team at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Ehliz and Kastner in the training group
In addition to the Munich trio, two other Red Bulls professionals are traveling to the Olympic camp in Bolzano for the time being. Yasin Ehliz and Maximilian Kastner will strengthen the DEB team's training group in preparation for the tournament. As the participating professionals from the National Hockey League (NHL) - which is taking its first break for the tournament since 2014 - will only arrive later, the squad will be bolstered with additional top players from the PENNY DEL until then. These would also be available in the event of last-minute absences before the start of the tournament.
National coach Harold Kreis: "Our task when planning the squad was to define the distribution of roles in the Olympic team and to fill them in the best possible way from our point of view. We are convinced that we have now found the ideal composition of the squad for the Olympic Games with this line-up. Now we are all looking forward to working together with this group and making the most of our time together preparing in Bolzano and Milan for the start of the tournament."
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Info on the ice hockey tournament in Milan
The men's Olympic ice hockey tournament begins on February 11, 2026. The nations are divided into three different groups with four countries per group. The best four teams in the preliminary round, i.e. the three group winners and the best runner-up, automatically qualify for the quarter-finals. The remaining eight teams play an advanced qualifying round. The winners complete the quarter-finals, while the tournament is over for the four losers. The knockout system then continues. The final will take place on February 22. The tournament venues are the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena (14,000 seats) and the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena (5,700 seats).
The DEB dates at a glance:
12.02.2026 | 21:10 | Germany - Denmark
14.02.2026 | 12:10 p.m. | Germany - Latvia
15.02.2026 | 21:10 | USA - Germany
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