Tim Stutzle spent his developmental years playing forward in his native Germany and debuted with Mannheim in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the country's top professional league, in 2019-20. He opted to remain in Germany despite a verbal commitment to play at the University of New Hampshire.

He scored 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 41 games with Mannheim in 2019-20, and the Ottawa Senators chose him with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Senators used the pick they acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 13, 2018.

The selection was announced by "Jeopardy!" host and former Ottawa resident Alex Trebek when he revealed it during a mock answer and question done in the style of the show.

Though Stutzle needed surgery to repair an arm injury sustained while training in Germany to prepare for the 2020-21 NHL season, he scored 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 53 games, fifth among NHL rookies. He scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 16, 2021, was named NHL Rookie of the Month for February after scoring 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 14 games, and had his first NHL hat trick against the Winnipeg Jets on May 8, 2021.

As captain for Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, Stutzle led his country to the playoff round for the first time. He scored 10 points (five goals, five assists) in five games and was named the tournament's best forward.