Germany without NHL star Sturm for world championship

Germany are without NHL star Nico Sturm for the men's ice hockey world championship despite his Minnesota Wild team being knocked out of the play-offs.

The squad for the tournament in Switzerland, which German started with a 3-1 loss to Finland on Friday, has been confirmed and Sturm has not been added, the team said.

Four other NHL players - Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken, Moritz Seider from the Detroit Red Wings, Lukas Reichel of the Chicago Blackhawks and Josh Samanski from the Edmonton Oilers - are included.

Double Stanley Cup winner Sturm did play for his country in February's Winter Olympics.

He was previously on the roster for worlds in 2023 and 2024. Germany were runners-up in 2023.