One of the best players in the world is receiving one of sport’s greatest honours.

On Wednesday, the German Olympic Sports Confederation announced that Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will be one of the flagbearers for Germany at the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Draisaitl will share the flag-carrying duties with ski jumper Katharina Schmid. The duo was selected through separate polls conducted among German athletes and the general public.

Draisaitl is one of the nation’s top athletes, and for a country that is hoping to remain competitive in a variety of sports in Milan, he’s expected to give the men’s hockey team a chance to make a run in the first tournament to feature NHLers since 2014.

This will be the Köln native’s first Olympic appearance, as he was still playing in the Western Hockey League when the Winter Games were held in Sochi, Russia. Even without names like Draisaitl and Moritz Seider, Germany had a solid run in Pyeongchang in 2018, losing to the Olympic Athletes of Russia in the gold medal game. While Drasaitl wasn’t allowed to compete, he was a key part in helping the Germans make it to the Olympics, posting five points in three games during Olympic Qualifying in September 2016.

Yet, with the big guns set to don their nation’s colours, Draisaitl and company look to push Germany beyond the preliminary round. In a Group C that features Latvia and Denmark, there’s a path for Träger der Adler to at least make it to the playoffs.

The upcoming event in Italy will mark the first time the 30-year-old will represent his country since the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Championship. Draisaitl played for Germany in four world championships, two IIHF World Junior Championships and two IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championships. Draisaitl will be joined by Oilers teammate Josh Samanski on the German roster.

The Opening Ceremony is set to take place at San Siro Stadium in Milan on Friday, Feb. 6. The event is scheduled to get underway at 11:40 a.m. MT. Germany opens up Group C play on Thursday, Feb. 12, against Denmark.