Leon Draisaitl is returning home.

The Edmonton Oilers are going overseas to Cologne, Germany, to play two games in Leon Draisaitl’s hometown next season in 2027-28. The NHL announced this news on Thursday morning, as part of the 2027 Global Series.

This is the second time in Draisaitl’s career that the Oilers played in Germany, dating back to 2018 when Edmonton played against the Cologne Sharks in an exhibition game. However, this news carries more weight, as both games are going to be regular-season games and will count in the standings.

Who the Oilers will play and when they’ll play is not yet known.

The Boston Bruins are also going to host two regular-season games in Munich, the hometown of J.J. Peterka. Again, the Bruins’ opponent has not yet been announced.

Although there have been a handful of trips for pre-season games or exhibitions, there has only been one regular-season game in Germany in NHL history. That took place on Oct. 8, 2011, between the Buffalo Sabres and the Los Angeles Kings at the O2 World Arena in Berlin. At the time, the Sabres featured two German players, Jochen Hecht and Christian Ehrhoff, as well as Austrian Thomas Vanek.

The Oilers have a strong German contingent once again on their roster.

Since 2018, Draisaitl has become the most accomplished German player to ever lace them up in the NHL. In a 4-3 win over Kolner Haie, a team coached by Leon’s dad, Peter, the Oilers superstar got to play beside fellow German Tobias Reider. After that exhibition, the Oilers continued across Europe to play the New Jersey Devils in the season opener in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Now, Edmonton has another German on the rise in Josh Samanski, who is originally from Erding.

Meanwhile, Düsseldorf will host the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany on December 18 and 20, 2026 at PSD Bank Dome, featuring two regular season games between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks.

Decades ago, the Oilers were part of a unique experience that found them playing games in Germany. From Sept. 6-8 in 1990, the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues participated in the Epson Cup tournament against Düsseldorfer EG.

The Blues, however, dispatched the Oilers 10-1 in the final. The Oilers then travelled to EC Graz, and EC Hedos Munich in West Germany and Austria to play exhibitions, just a couple months after winning their fifth Stanley Cup.

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