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 had 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.

Stutzle's fifth season in the NHL was full of milestones. He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut with five points (two goals, three assists) in six games of the 2025 Eastern Conference First Round after his 55 assists led the Senators in the regular season, including an 11-game assist streak from Jan. 26 to March 3 that broke the team record of 10 shared by Mark Stone and Sergei Gonchar. He played his 300th NHL game, a 3-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 12, 2024, when he became the highest-scoring Germany-born player through 300 games with 267 points. He scored his 100th goal Nov. 23, and earned his 300th point Feb. 3, 2025, and 200th assist March 3.

Stutzle played for Team Germany at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He scored in every preliminary round game (four goals in five games) to help Germany finish sixth, its best at an Olympics with NHL participation.

As captain for Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, Stutzle helped 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.