Draisaitl, Oilers will 'give everything to win,' soccer star Davies says

MUNICH -- Alphonso Davies is a soccer superstar, but he has never forgotten the hockey roots instilled as he assimilated to Canada after his family emigrated from Liberia to Edmonton when he was 5 years old.

That was on full display Thursday when the FC Bayern Munich left back shared some time with Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl at the Bayern training ground. 

“For me, hockey is a great sport, which I grew up with,” Davies said during a press conference announcing a partnership between his club and the NHL to help grow hockey in Germany. “The fact that Leon plays for Edmonton is special for me. I always cheer him on when I watch the Oilers.”

The NHL and NHLPA also announced Thursday that Draisaitl and the Oilers will play in Cologne, his home city, as part of the 2027 NHL Global Series Germany. The Boston Bruins, spearheaded by German native JJ Peterka, will play in Munich.

The bond Davies and Draisaitl share was on full display before the formal press conference began.

Davies, Draisaitl and Peterka were recruited by the FC Bayern social media group to answer trivia questions about the two sports; Davies answering hockey questions while Peterka and Draisaitl combined to answer questions about German soccer in general and FC Bayern in particular.  

“I’m excited for the partnership with NHL and Bayern and to see these two guys and do this challenge with them, it was a lot of fun,” Davies told NHL.com.

He said he and Draisaitl have crossed paths in Edmonton in the past and have had conversations; Davies says there is a familiarity borne out of the pressure each faces. 

Draisaitl, one of the top players in the NHL, also is the best player for Team Germany, which finished sixth at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Davies has played for FC Bayern since joining the team as an 18-year-old from Vancouver of Major League Soccer. He was the unquestioned leader for Canada going into the 2026 World Cup, but a lower-body injury limited him to one appearance. 

“We are both elite athletes; we both play at a high level, we know that each time you step on the pitch or the ice, you have to perform and give everything to win for your team and make your team proud,” Davies said.

As such, he's interested to see what the Oilers do this season; they were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, after making it to the Stanley Cup Final -- and losing to the Florida Panthers -- each of the previous two seasons.

Davies is betting on a bounce-back campaign.  

“I’m excited to see what the season brings,” he said. “In sports you always have ups and downs, but these guys, they go out there each week and do what they need to do. I mean, it is a long season, but I’m sure this season, they have something to prove because last year was not what we expected as a fan. But, at the end of the day, we know these guys are going to come out and do their job this season.” 

Davies has watched Draisaitl enough to know he is an elite two-way center on the ice. But at what position would Draisaitl’s skill set work best in soccer?

“I think he would be a good right back, to be honest or maybe a holding midfielder,” Davies said, breaking into a hearty laugh. “A right back in football is pretty offensive nowadays. He can get up the pitch and defend. Do it all.”

Now, flip the table. 

What position does Davies think he could best execute on the ice? 

“A center ice man,” he said. “I’d want to be in the middle of it all, be around the goal to score and then defend.”