(Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators will venture to Germany for a pair of matchups next season, the NHL announced Friday.

PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf will host the NHL Global Series showdowns on Dec. 18 and 20, shortly before the league's annual Christmas break.

The games stem from a joint commitment between the NHL and NHL Players' Association to grow hockey in Germany, one of Europe's most populous countries. The German men's team placed sixth at the recent Winter Olympics in Milan.

A cornerstone of that German lineup, 24-year-old center Tim Stutzle, is the Senators' scoring leader with 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 64 games.

'I think German hockey has been growing a lot and there are a lot of great players from there,' said Stutzle, a Viersen native who is one of seven active German NHL players.

'And now that (the NHL has) been committing to playing games there and supporting kids as well, it's huge. Hopefully it gets more people to play hockey in Germany. It's really exciting news.'

The Blackhawks counter with Canadian whiz kid Connor Bedard, who leads his team in assists (35) and points (62).

'I think when we found out, the whole team was pretty fired up,' said Bedard, a 20-year-old center. '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 hosted one previous regular-season game in 2011 when the Buffalo Sabres beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 in Berlin. Chicago topped local powerhouse Eisbaren Berlin 3-1 in a 2019 preseason exhibition.

In 2023, Stutzle led Ottawa to wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild during the Global Series stop in Stockholm, Sweden.

'From a team perspective, this is good for us, really, because we get to showcase one of our stars in Europe,' Senators president Cyril Leeder said. 'Hockey is a global game now. Of the team sports, maybe soccer and hockey probably (are) top two in the world. So you know, there are fans now that are following our team from Germany, from Sweden, all over the globe.'

--Field Level Media