Germany's Marc Michaelis celebrates at the bench after scoring a goal against the U.S. at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Marc Michaelis is a man of the world. The German assistant captain, who has four points so far at his sixth IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, has sampled many different parts of the hockey universe at age 30.
Nifty and cerebral, the Mannheim-born forward became a Hobey Baker Award finalist with Minnesota State in 2020, joining the likes of goalie Jeremy Swayman and eventual winner Scott Perunovich. Michaelis played 15 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21 and 22 AHL games with the Toronto Marlies in 2021-22. The 177-cm, 79-kg veteran also put up good numbers in the Swiss NL with SCL Tigers and EV Zug between 2022 and 2024.
This year, he not only represented Germany at the Milan Olympics, but also completed his second season as the captain of Adler Mannheim. It is the famous DEL club – spawning stars like Moritz Seider and Tim Stutzle – from the city that will co-host the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship with Dusseldorf.
In Zurich, it hasn’t been an easy experience for the German national team. They lost their first four games to the Finns, Latvians, Swiss, and Americans (in overtime). But earning a 6-2 victory over Hungary on Friday provided a glimmer of hope. IIHF.com caught up with Michaelis afterwards.
You were very successful in limiting Hungary’s shots. How much of that was your offensive-zone time and how much of it was just taking care of your own end?
I think it starts in the offensive zone. We did a good job of getting pucks back, and when they got the puck, they were so tired that they could only put it in the zone. Our D were solid and our forwards tracked back really well. So that was overall a good game for us.
Defenceman Leon Gawanke scored a hat trick today. You know him well both from the national team and Adler Mannheim. What makes him a special player?
In those moments, he’s never satisfied with what he does, what he accomplishes. He’s got a really good offensive touch. He sees the ice pretty well. Guys are finding him. When he puts the puck in the net, it’s really helping us.
You put up three assists versus Hungary. Do you feel like your own game is starting to round into form?
Yeah, for sure. I was working really hard the first few games, mostly in the defensive zone, and I didn't get too many chances offensively. Now in the last two games, it’s kind of clicked, and so I definitely want to keep the momentum going.
With Germany hosting in 2027, you cannot be sent down. But how important is it regardless to make sure you show your best in these remaining games?
We don’t look at it that way. You know, we got a point against the USA. We are still in good shape for making the quarter-finals. We’ve got to take care of our business, so we don’t really look down. But now that you mentioned it, it’s for sure nice. You never know what will happen. We like our spot right now, and obviously it helps knowing that we won't be in last place.
It’s been a long time since Mannheim hosted an IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. How excited are you about this tournament coming back next year?
It's my hometown, and I was an ice boy in 2010 there when the World Championshp took place. So it coming back to my hometown and me getting, hopefully, the opportunity to represent my country on home ice is going to be really special. Seeing how passionate the Swiss are about hosting the Worlds here in Switzerland, I can’t imagine what it's going to be like in Germany next year!
As an ice boy, did you get to meet any of your heroes?
There were so many! I think of Jaromir Jagr. He was a little older back then, but still, just seeing him warming up and performing was so special. To get a chance to be so close to all those pros was really something. Now, I always tell the ice boys whenever I play: “Hey, I was an ice boy once.” It’s a lot of fun. Most of them play hockey. So stick with it, and you never know what’s going to happen.
You had a good season with Adler Mannheim this year, achieving your highest DEL point total ever (11+31=42 in 52 games). What are you doing to keep yourself at that high level?
Well, I lacked a little bit of production the first year. I came to the team and I was made captain right away. So I had a lot on my plate, and it took some time for me to get used to. This year, I was more comfortable being the captain of my team. Just slowly getting used to everything, the surroundings, It helped me a lot this year. So, there’s not much I do differently. It's just the experience you get once you get older.
Your next game is against the Austrians on Saturday night. They’ve had a pretty good tournament, although obviously disappointed with their lopsided loss to Switzerland. What kind of a fight do you expect?
It’ll be an absolute battle against them. Every time we play them, we get their best. They’re a really good team. They’re well-coached. It's going to take everything from us. This game is like a final for us, because we still want to go up to the quarter-finals. It’ll be two good teams going at each other. I think it’s going to be a really good game for the fans.
Nifty and cerebral, the Mannheim-born forward became a Hobey Baker Award finalist with Minnesota State in 2020, joining the likes of goalie Jeremy Swayman and eventual winner Scott Perunovich. Michaelis played 15 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21 and 22 AHL games with the Toronto Marlies in 2021-22. The 177-cm, 79-kg veteran also put up good numbers in the Swiss NL with SCL Tigers and EV Zug between 2022 and 2024.
This year, he not only represented Germany at the Milan Olympics, but also completed his second season as the captain of Adler Mannheim. It is the famous DEL club – spawning stars like Moritz Seider and Tim Stutzle – from the city that will co-host the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship with Dusseldorf.
In Zurich, it hasn’t been an easy experience for the German national team. They lost their first four games to the Finns, Latvians, Swiss, and Americans (in overtime). But earning a 6-2 victory over Hungary on Friday provided a glimmer of hope. IIHF.com caught up with Michaelis afterwards.
You were very successful in limiting Hungary’s shots. How much of that was your offensive-zone time and how much of it was just taking care of your own end?
I think it starts in the offensive zone. We did a good job of getting pucks back, and when they got the puck, they were so tired that they could only put it in the zone. Our D were solid and our forwards tracked back really well. So that was overall a good game for us.
Defenceman Leon Gawanke scored a hat trick today. You know him well both from the national team and Adler Mannheim. What makes him a special player?
In those moments, he’s never satisfied with what he does, what he accomplishes. He’s got a really good offensive touch. He sees the ice pretty well. Guys are finding him. When he puts the puck in the net, it’s really helping us.
You put up three assists versus Hungary. Do you feel like your own game is starting to round into form?
Yeah, for sure. I was working really hard the first few games, mostly in the defensive zone, and I didn't get too many chances offensively. Now in the last two games, it’s kind of clicked, and so I definitely want to keep the momentum going.
With Germany hosting in 2027, you cannot be sent down. But how important is it regardless to make sure you show your best in these remaining games?
We don’t look at it that way. You know, we got a point against the USA. We are still in good shape for making the quarter-finals. We’ve got to take care of our business, so we don’t really look down. But now that you mentioned it, it’s for sure nice. You never know what will happen. We like our spot right now, and obviously it helps knowing that we won't be in last place.
It’s been a long time since Mannheim hosted an IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. How excited are you about this tournament coming back next year?
It's my hometown, and I was an ice boy in 2010 there when the World Championshp took place. So it coming back to my hometown and me getting, hopefully, the opportunity to represent my country on home ice is going to be really special. Seeing how passionate the Swiss are about hosting the Worlds here in Switzerland, I can’t imagine what it's going to be like in Germany next year!
As an ice boy, did you get to meet any of your heroes?
There were so many! I think of Jaromir Jagr. He was a little older back then, but still, just seeing him warming up and performing was so special. To get a chance to be so close to all those pros was really something. Now, I always tell the ice boys whenever I play: “Hey, I was an ice boy once.” It’s a lot of fun. Most of them play hockey. So stick with it, and you never know what’s going to happen.
You had a good season with Adler Mannheim this year, achieving your highest DEL point total ever (11+31=42 in 52 games). What are you doing to keep yourself at that high level?
Well, I lacked a little bit of production the first year. I came to the team and I was made captain right away. So I had a lot on my plate, and it took some time for me to get used to. This year, I was more comfortable being the captain of my team. Just slowly getting used to everything, the surroundings, It helped me a lot this year. So, there’s not much I do differently. It's just the experience you get once you get older.
Your next game is against the Austrians on Saturday night. They’ve had a pretty good tournament, although obviously disappointed with their lopsided loss to Switzerland. What kind of a fight do you expect?
It’ll be an absolute battle against them. Every time we play them, we get their best. They’re a really good team. They’re well-coached. It's going to take everything from us. This game is like a final for us, because we still want to go up to the quarter-finals. It’ll be two good teams going at each other. I think it’s going to be a really good game for the fans.
