Tim Stutzle will get the chance to suit up in his home country next season.

The National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association announced on Friday morning that the Ottawa Senators will face off against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks next season in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The games between the Senators and Hawks will be played on Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, which means both teams will play one less home game at the Canadian Tire Centre and the United Center, respectively.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was in Düsseldorf for the announcement on Friday morning, along with representatives of the Players Association. The games will be played at the PSD Bank Dome.

The league and the players stated that the decision to go to Germany is an opportunity to help grow the game in that country.

“Key components of the plan include strategic investment in growing the game through grassroots, content and other fan engagement initiatives across Germany, forging new, long-term business partnerships and making a commitment to bringing more NHL regular season games to Germany,” the league said in its news release.

Stutzle is thrilled at the opportunity to head overseas.

“German hockey has been growing a lot, and there are a lot of great players from there,” said Stutzle. “Now that they (the NHL is) committing to playing games there and supporting kids as well. It’s huge. Hopefully, it gets even more people to play hockey in Germany. It’s really exciting news.”

Saturday is Hockey Day in Germany, and the Senators game against the Anaheim Ducks at 1 p.m. EST will be shown live on a big screen in Düsseldorf. The Stanley Cup will be on hand, and former Ottawa defenceman Christoph Schubert will be part of the celebrations.

This will be the fourth time that the Senators have played in Europe, but this is the club’s first trip to Germany. The Senators have suited up in Stockholm, Sweden, three times in franchise history, including a series against the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild during the 2024-25 campaign.

More later ….

bgarrioch@postmedia.com