Attached is Team Germany’s preliminary roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship in St. Paul, MN. A total of 26 names appear on the German roster, which will be trimmed down to a maximum of 25 players prior to the start of the event. Many analysts believe Germany will make a run to the quarterfinals this season.
As the attached article indicates, three German players are 2025 NHL draft picks, being d-man Carlos Handel (Montreal, 6th round) & forwards David Lewandowski (Edmonton, 4th round) and Maxim Schäfer (Washington, 3rd round). The common theme among these players is that they all compete in the CHL (Handel & Schafer in the QMJHL, and Lewandowski in the WHL). Joining them are four other current CHLers (two apiece from the WHL & QMJHL). To round out this North American junior hockey flavor, three of these players compete in the British Columbia Hockey League, and one competes in the USHL.
Having said all that, perhaps the best prospect on the German team is 16-year-old forward Max Penkin. Penkin averaged more than a point-per-game last season and earlier this year at Germany’s U20 level, and has two goals in 14 games this season following his promotion to Germany’s top professional league. It will be interesting to see where Penkin lands in the 2027 draft. Outside of the top several prospects, opinions vary widely as to the strength of that particular draft class.