Leon Draisaitl and Mike Babcock will take the Edmonton Oilers to Cologne for a rare NHL regular-season trip in 2027-28.
The NHL and NHLPA have confirmed Edmonton will play 2 regular-season games in Cologne, bringing Draisaitl back to the German city where he was born and raised.
The Boston Bruins are also part of the league's Germany plans. They'll play 2 games in Munich, creating another hometown connection with German forward JJ Peterka.
Neither Cologne nor Munich has hosted an NHL regular-season game before. That gives the league 2 new markets for its continuing push into Europe.
Germany has seen NHL action before, with league games in the country dating back to 2011. Düsseldorf is also scheduled to host Ottawa and Chicago in December 2026.
For Edmonton, though, Cologne carries a different weight. Draisaitl won't simply be playing overseas; he'll be skating in front of a hometown crowd wearing an Oilers sweater.
Leon Draisaitl gives Edmonton a natural Cologne draw
The setting makes Draisaitl the obvious centerpiece of Edmonton's trip. Few NHL international events can match the connection of an elite player returning to the city that shaped his early hockey years.
The games are expected to be played at Lanxess Arena, giving local fans a chance to see one of Germany's biggest hockey names in an NHL regular-season setting.
Munich's games will be staged at SAP Garden. Peterka's roots there give the Bruins a similar connection as the league builds the event around recognizable German talent.
Opponents for Edmonton and Boston have not yet been announced. Ticket information also remains unavailable, with more details expected during the 2026-27 season.
That leaves plenty still to be settled, including where the games land on Edmonton's schedule and how Babcock manages the travel around the club's North American dates.
An overseas trip can disrupt routine, rest and practice time. But the emotional upside for Draisaitl and the attention surrounding Edmonton in Cologne will make this anything but a normal road swing.
For Oilers fans, the headline is already clear: Draisaitl is getting an NHL homecoming that very few players ever experience.
Should the NHL send the Oilers to Germany more often?
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