Team Germany released its final roster for the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa on the DEB official site after a four-game preparation stage. After an intensive two weeks in Charlottetown, Moncton and Ottawa, U20 national coach Tobias Abstreiter nominated his squad for the World Junior Championship. A total of 25 players make up the squad, including three goalies, eight defensemen, and fourteen forwards.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
The coaches decided on the team after the last preparation game, a loss to Team Sweden. “It is, of course, always a very difficult decision for us as to who has to fly home at the end,” said Abstreiter, who cut 2007-born forward Timo Kose. “Timo [Kose] has gained important experience at the U20 level, and we would like to thank him for his efforts – the future belongs to him.”
Team Germany’s Forwards
Lenny Boos, Linus Brandl, David Lewandovski, Nick Maul, Marco Münzenberger, Elias Pul, Timo Ruckdäschel, Clemens Sager, Noah, Samanski, Maxim Schäfer, Tobias Schwarz, Simon Seidl, Julius Sumpf, Paul Vinzens.
There were almost no surprises among the forward group, with all the big names getting the call and forming a good, balanced lineup without stars but who have the potential to be consistent contributors. Many were expecting Timo Kose to make the cut, myself included, but the coaches decided to opt for a more experienced roster as the Germans will most likely have to battle to avoid relegation.
Team Germany’s Defensemen
Carlos Händel, Max Hense, Rio Kaiser, Kilian Kühnhauser, Paul Mayer, Lua Niehus, Norwin Panocha, Edwin Tropmann.
The Germans don’t have a lot of big names on the blue line and opted for the most experienced players who can sustain two games against North American teams. Norwin Panocha, Carlos Handel, and Rio Kaiser will most likely be the go-to blueliners when things get tough in the defensive zone.
Team Germany’s Goalies
Lennart Neisse, Nico Pertuch, Linus Vieillard.
The coaches had to make a last-minute change in goal, calling up Lennart Neisse of the Cambridge Redhawks of the GOJHL to replace injured Leon Hümer, who had to leave Ottawa on Saturday due to injury. The 18-year-old is expected to be Germany’s third-string goalie, with Pertuch and Vieillard battling it out for the starting role.
Team Germany’s Prospects at the Tournament
This will be a hard tournament for Germany, and the coaches know it. But they also know that the team’s fate will likely be decided in the round-robin’s last game. “We have a squad with which we can achieve our goal of staying in the league,” Abstreiter said.
“With the top nations, USA, Finland and Canada, we will be playing against title contenders in the first three games. We are looking forward to these duels and want to put in a good performance. It is important that we gather knowledge from each of these matches and take it with us for the next game. We want to use these findings and adjustments to continue to develop during the tournament and be as well prepared as possible for the final group game against Latvia.”
The WJC begins on Dec. 26, 2024.
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