HERNING, Denmark — Tim Stutzle understands the significance that comes with representing Germany at international tournaments.

The Ottawa Senators forward also knows the importance of helping his country set a tone at the 2025 IIHF World Championship with the NHL set to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Stutzle said Monday. “That’s a big part of why I wanted to be here, to just be here and playing for my country again is awesome, but also with the group and get to know the guys even better when we go to the Olympics. We have a really tight group. It’s been fun.

“It’s not really often that NHL players get to go to play for the World Championship unless you’re out of the playoffs or you didn’t make it. It’s good to be here building chemistry on that.”

Stutzle’s arrival comes after the Senators were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round.

His addition gives Germany four active NHL players on its World Championship roster, joining Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider, Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel and Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

Those four players are hoping the World Championship can be productive in the short term and in the long run looking to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in February.

“Those are the events you want to play in … the Olympics, the World Championship with everyone showing up,” said Seider, who had 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) in 82 games with the Red Wings this season. “You maybe will not always be as successful as we have been the last couple of years, but if you have the chance to play against the best in the world obviously you take that challenge. It’s something else.

“We’re really looking forward to this tournament and hopefully we can get a little bit more momentum going.”

So far they’ve built good momentum at this tournament, winning its first three games in Group B play by a combined 15-4. Stutzle had two assists and played 18:42 in his tournament debut, a 5-2 win against Norway at Jyske Bank Boxen on Tuesday.

Germany has four games remaining in Group B play, with its next game against Switzerland on Thursday. The medal round begins May 22, with the gold-medal game set for May 25.

This level of international success has been a climb for Germany, which had been relegated to the Division I, Group A level after a 17th-place finish at the 2005 World Championship, but worked its way to a silver medal at the 2023 Worlds.

Germany won the silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. It was the country’s first Olympic men’s hockey medal since a bronze at the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics (West Germany won the bronze at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics).

“For us, when we play those big nations like USA or Canada, we can’t back off and that’s what we maybe used to do 10 years or five years ago,” Reichel said. “Now I feel like we can actually play against them and get some chances and play hard against them. We can play to win. We don’t have to back off and try to hold. We can play with them.”

It amplifies things for Germany, which wasn’t among the participants at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

“It’s important,” Grubauer said. “We want to play in the Olympics and have another shot at playing at the Olympics. It’s going to be the first time for me, and it’s going to be the first time for a lot of guys. This group has been successful a couple years ago, so it’s even more important to have a good tournament here. Most guys who have made the team here are going to go to the Olympics, so we move from there.”

The timing couldn’t be better for Germany, which had six skaters play in the NHL this season: Seider, Stutzle, Reichel, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka and Florida Panthers forward Nico Sturm, as well as Grubauer, the lone goalie.

Twenty-four Germany-born players have been selected in the NHL Draft since the Oilers chose Draisaitl with the No. 3 pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. That includes Seider (No. 6, 2019), Stutzle (No. 3, 2020) and Reichel (No. 17, 2020), each of whom were selected in the first round.

“You look at the two silver medals they accomplished and won. … I think it speaks to youth hockey and how they develop guys,” Grubauer said. “I think it speaks for how many players and young players are over in the NHL. You look at Leon. You look at Tim. You look at JJ. You look at ‘Mo.’ They all have pretty important roles with their clubs.

“I think when you look at the lineup, we’re getting younger and younger, right? Younger and faster. It’s even more important now to play these tournaments because those are the guys who are going to be with the team for a long, long time if they keep producing. This tournament is really important for us.”