The NHL's annual Global Series is headed back to Germany in 2026-27.

For the first time in 15 years, regular-season hockey will return to Dusseldorf, Germany, pitting the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks against each other on Dec. 18 and 20 at PSD Bank Dome, the league announced on Friday.

The event is part of a long-term NHL/NHLPA strategy to grow the game in the country, with plans for games there for at least three consecutive campaigns, the league said in the release.

The National Hockey League is currently flush with German talent, and Senators forward Tim Stutzle is one of the best. He's recorded a team-high 30 goals and 70 points in just 64 games in 2025-26.

“I think German hockey has been growing a lot, and there are a lot of great players from there,” Stutzle said. “Now that they [the NHL] have been committing to playing games there and supporting kids as well. It’s huge. Hopefully it gets even more people to play hockey in Germany. It’s really exciting news.”

The Blackhawks posted a video of their superstar, Connor Bedard, trying his best to speak German as he shared the announcement:

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“When we found out the whole team was pretty fired up,” Bedard said. “It's a great opportunity for us. Just spreading (the game) to other parts of the world and showing our skill set and what we do over here, we're excited.”

Germany has arguably more NHL talent than ever right now; along with Stutzle, Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl and Detroit Red Wings star defenseman Moritz Seider round out an elite trio. Considering the league plans to have multiple future games there, it's expected that both the Oilers and Red Wings will be participating in either 2027 or 2028.

The country had a decent showing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, advancing to the quarterfinal before bowing out to Slovakia.

The 2025 edition of the NHL Global Series was played in November of 2025, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators each winning a game at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Overall, there have been 48 games at venues outside of North America since 1997, spanning six countries and nine cities.

That number will jump to 50 just before Christmas.