Maximilian Franzreb to Make Olympic Debut for Germany in Milan
Maximilian Franzreb will step into the net for Germany at the Olympic ice hockey tournament in Milan on Sunday evening (ET), marking his first appearance at the Games. The 29-year-old goaltender, who moved from Bremerhaven to Adler Mannheim before the season, replaces the NHL starter for the group-stage showdown with the United States.
Kreis switches goalies as knockout strategy takes shape
Head coach Harold Kreis has shuffled his lineup for the upcoming match, handing Franzreb the start in goal. The switch follows two starts by the NHL netminder, who guarded the cage in the 3-1 victory over Denmark and the narrow 3-4 defeat to Latvia. While the NHL starter has been relied on through the group phase, the coaching staff has signaled a plan to manage goaltending resources carefully with the knockout rounds in mind.
The change was broadly anticipated and reflects a balancing act between maintaining momentum in the preliminaries and preserving top personnel for the single-elimination stretch. Fans and teammates alike will watch franzreb take the net for the first time on the Olympic stage, an opportunity that underlines the depth the national squad is trying to leverage at these Games.
Strong Adler Mannheim contingent on the ice
Franzreb’s presence boosts the representation of Adler Mannheim in the national lineup. Five players from the club are expected to skate against the U. S.: Franzreb in goal, defensemen Leon Gawanke and Lukas Kälble, and forwards Marc Michaelis and Alexander Ehl. The heavy contingent underscores the club’s influence on the national roster and offers a familiar spine of teammates who know one another’s tendencies.
Not all members of the Mannheim cohort will play: Justin Schütz will again occupy a spot on the bench, remaining available as a depth option. For Franzreb, the call-up is a personal milestone. The 29-year-old will realize an Olympic dream he has worked toward through years in the German professional ranks and a mid-career move that brought him to one of the nation’s top clubs.
What the start means for Germany’s tournament hopes
The decision to start Franzreb is tactical as well as personnel-driven. It gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate another goaltending option under Olympic pressure while keeping the NHL starter fresh for a likely return in the knockout rounds. Germany’s recent results—a solid win in the opener and a setback in a tight loss—have set up this decisive group-stage clash as crucial for seeding and momentum.
How Franzreb handles the spotlight against an experienced U. S. lineup will be watched closely. His performance could shape match-day decisions later in the tournament and influence the allocation of minutes between the goalies. For the rest of the German lineup, the game presents a moment to coalesce around a shared defensive plan and to support their new starter with disciplined play and shot suppression.
Sunday evening (ET) will mark Franzreb’s Olympic introduction, and the outcome will speak to both his readiness and the broader strategy Kreis has adopted as the tournament advances toward elimination hockey. Expect Germany to deploy a mix of club chemistry and national-level adjustments in pursuit of a strong knockout-phase positioning.
