Joshua Samanski (born March 22, 2002) is a German professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with the Straubing Tigers.
Early life
Samanski was born on March 22, 2002 in Erding, Germany.[1] He also holds Canadian citizenship through his father, John, who himself is a former professional hockey player.[2] He has six siblings, all of whom are involved in sports.[3]
Playing career
Junior
Growing up, Samanski played with Jungadler Mannheim, a team in the Schüler-BL. His best season with them saw him record 106 points in 36 games.[1] He spent one season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), playing with the Owen Sound Attack.
Professional
Samanski joined the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in the 2021–22 season. He was named alternate captain of the club for the 2024–25 season.[1]
On April 2, 2025, Samanski was signed by the Edmonton Oilers to a two-year, $1,950,000 contract.[4]
He played his first game in the NHL on January 26, 2026.[5] Samanski recorded his first NHL point, an assist, in his third game, a 7–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.[citation needed] After five games with the Oilers, in which Samanski recorded two assists, he was sent down to the Bakersfield Condors, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Oilers.[6] After the Olympic break, Samanski would be called back up to the Oilers, where he would remain for the rest of the season. He was credited with his first NHL goal during a March 21 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after a pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand to Emil Lilleberg deflected past Andrei Vasilevskiy.[7]
Samanski made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on April 22, 2026, against the Anaheim Ducks, in which he recorded one goal in a 6-4 loss.[8][9] The Oilers would end up losing to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2026 Playoffs, 4-2.[10]
International play
Samanski has represented Germany internationally. He played for the German junior team in the World Junior Championships in 2021 and 2022, serving as an alternate captain in the latter tournament.
Samanski played for Germany at the 2025 IIHF World Championships.[11] He was also named to the national roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.[12] During the Olympics, Samanski recorded a goal and an assist in five games.
On May 6, 2026, Samanski was added to Team Germany’s roster for the 2026 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships.[13]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Brantford 99ers | OJHL | 54 | 13 | 12 | 35 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 54 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ravensburg Towerstars | DEL2 | 41 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Straubing Tigers | DEL | 42 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | EV Landshut | DEL2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Straubing Tigers | DEL | 48 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Straubing Tigers | DEL | 51 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | ||
| 2024–25 | Straubing Tigers | DEL | 52 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 45 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| DEL totals | 183 | 40 | 53 | 93 | 102 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22 | ||||
| NHL totals | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Germany | WJC | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Germany | WJC | 6th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Germany | WC | 9th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2026 | Germany | OG | 6th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2026 | Germany | WC | 10th | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 19 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 8 | ||||
References
- ^ a b c “Josh Samanski”. Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ “John Samanski”. Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ “‘Very strong impression’“. Edmonton Sun. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ “RELEASE: Oilers sign German forward Josh Samanski”. Edmonton Oilers. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Moddejonge, Gerry (January 26, 2026). “Ekholm gets 1st NHL hat trick, Oilers end Ducks’ winning streak at 7”. NHL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ “Oilers assign Samanski and Pickard to Bakersfield Condors ahead of Olympic break”. Oilers Nation. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ “Samanski’s first NHL goal”. NHL.com. March 21, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ^ “Gauthier breaks tie late in 3rd, Ducks edge Oilers in Game 2 to even West 1st Round”. NHL.com. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ^ “Anaheim Ducks – Edmonton Oilers – April 12, 2026”. NHL.com. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ^ Staff, Sportsnet (May 1, 2026). “Oilers eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs after falling to Ducks in Game 6”. Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ^ O’Brien, Derek (May 10, 2025). “Tim Stützle Joins Germany At World Championship”. The Hockey News. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ Staff, TSN ca (January 7, 2026). “Six NHLers headline Germany’s Olympic roster; Ehlers among four on Team Denmark”. TSN. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ “BLOG: Ekholm & Samanski to attend Worlds”. NHL.com. May 6, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Joshua Samanski at Milano Cortina 2026
- Joshua Samanski at Olympics.com
- Joshua Samanski at Team Deutschland (in German)
- Josh Samanski at Olympedia
- Josh Samanski on Instagram
