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Oilers’ Ekholm joins Sweden, Samanski joins Germany for World Championship
Photo credit: © Amber Searls-Imagn Images
By Zach Laing
May 6, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: May 6, 2026, 15:16 EDT
Another pair of Edmonton Oilers will be packing their bags and heading to Switzerland for the World Championship.
Defenceman Mattias Ekholm is set to join Sweden, white centre Josh Samanski will join Germany, the Oilers announced Wednesday.
Playing at the Worlds is nothing new for Ekholm, who was uncerimoniously left off Sweden’s Olympic roster earlier this year. He’s played in five previous tournaments, 2014 (Bronze), 2015, 2016, 2018 (Gold), and 2019, appearing in 32 games, scoring four goals and 16 assists.
Ekhom has represented Sweden many other times internationally, including at the U18 and U20 tournaments, the 2017 World Cup of Hockey and the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Samanski, meanwhile, is set to represent Germany for the second time in his young career. He was at the Worlds last year with Germany, scoring two goals and five points in seven games, and while they didn’t make the quarterfinals in their group, they qualified to play in this year’s tournament.
Similarly to Ekholm, Samanski has played in U20 tournament internationally, and earlier this year, joined Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl at the Olympics, scoring a goal and two points in five games.
Samanski made his pro debut in North America this season with the Oilers, appearing in 45 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors, scoring eight goals and 31 points, and 24 NHL games scoring two goals and four points. He got his first taste of the NHL playoffs, too, scoring a goal and two points in five games against the Anaheim Ducks.
Two other Oilers — Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse — will join Team Canada, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, but neither have been confirmed.
The tournament is set to run from May 15 to 31. Sweden and Canada both are in group B for the tournament, while Germany sits in Group A.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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