The German national ice hockey team will have to do without top striker Tim Stützle at the World Cup in the Czech Republic (May 10th to 26th).

The striker for the Ottawa Senators from the North American professional league will not be playing for the runner-up world champions due to a shoulder injury, as the 22-year-old announced at his Canadian team's season-ending conference.

Stützle explained that he had been having shoulder problems for several months and also had a wrist injury. He now wants to heal from the injuries. He played his last NHL game for the Senators on April 4th. The striker was unable to play for the German team at the World Cup last year.

The former Mannheimer scored 18 goals and 52 assists in 75 appearances for Ottawa this season and is about to make the leap into world class. However, the scorer points were not enough for the playoffs. The Senators missed the knockout round again.