NHL brother, DEL promotion: Noah Samanski moves to the Ice Tigers

Noah Samanski is taking the next step: The 20-year-old forward is leaving the Blue Devils Weiden and moving from DEL2 to the German Ice Hockey League to join the Nuremberg Ice Tigers. The club from Franconia made the transfer official on Wednesday afternoon. Samanski receives a three-year contract in Nuremberg, which is dated until 2029.

Strong numbers in Weiden pave the way to the DEL

In sporting terms, Samanski comes with a clear recommendation. In 50 regular season games for Weiden, he recorded 11 goals and 14 assists. In DEL2, he was thus the top-scoring U21 development player – that is, the category of young professionals who are managed with special development licenses and are supposed to gain targeted playing experience at a high level in everyday league play. Samanski was also twice named U21 Development Player of the Month.

This development is also remarkable because Samanski has only just completed his first full professional season. After his training at the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg, he spent a year in North America before joining the Blue Devils last season – and quickly found a role there that went beyond mere talent showcases.

Weiden loses an important building block

The assessment in Weiden is correspondingly clear: In a press release, the club described his departure as a "painful loss." In his first full professional season, Samanski was one of the most outstanding players in the squad and quickly developed into an important building block.

This assessment is not only based on his regular season points. Especially in the playdowns, that is, the phase of the season when teams are fighting to stay in the league, Samanski took responsibility and contributed decisively to Weiden's survival with important points. For a young center, this is an indication of resilience: producing when the games get tighter and mistakes have immediate consequences is a different requirement than scoring in quieter weeks of the season.

In Weiden, Samanski also played alongside his 27-year-old brother Neal. The family is present in ice hockey – also because brother Josh (24) made it to the NHL.

Nuremberg relies on talent and game intelligence

In Nuremberg, the transfer is clearly seen as a development step. Sports director Stefan Ustorf says: "After a very good first professional season in Weiden, I am glad that Noah Samanski chose Nuremberg to start his DEL career." Ustorf also describes him as a "very talented young center with great game intelligence."

For the Ice Tigers, the signing is thus an investment in perspective – and in a profile that is particularly in demand in the DEL: a young center who can take responsibility in the middle and has already shown that he not only keeps up at the professional level but also makes an impact. The three-year contract dated until 2029 gives Nuremberg the framework to introduce Samanski to the higher speed, stronger defensive structures, and greater squad depth of the DEL without short-term pressure.

Samanski, in turn, gets the chance to confirm his impressive DEL2 season on the biggest national stage. Weiden loses a player who quickly became important in sporting terms – Nuremberg gains a young center whose development curve is pointing upwards.