The Swiss national team shows good signs at the home tournament of the Euro Hockey Tour in Zurich. Nevertheless, it was not enough to win any of the three games in the main Olympic rehearsal.
14.12.2025, 20:32
14.12.2025, 20:45
SDA
In contrast to the first meeting in Finland in November, national coach Patrick Fischer was once again able to count on the majority of the top performers from the domestic league, so expectations were correspondingly high. Especially as there were also last-minute places at stake with a view to the Olympic Games.
"Our aim is to get a good feeling this week," Fischer said before the tournament. This was not achieved, at least in terms of results. After the rather fortunate point win in the opening game against Sweden (2:3 n.p.), who are still unbeaten this season, and the improved performance against the Czech Republic (3:5), the Swiss were once again only a little short of victory in the final 3:4 after overtime against Finland. However, Fischer was not satisfied with their performance against the Olympic champions, especially in the opening phase. "We weren't ready at the start."
Strong power play
One positive aspect was the power play, which worked even without NHL players. Five of the eight Swiss goals were scored in overtime. With a success rate of over 40 percent, they even surpassed their best result of the last World Championship. Switzerland did not concede a goal in their first two games while shorthanded, before being defeated twice against Finland.
Fischer sees himself one step closer to putting together the 25-man Olympic squad for "Milano 2026". "A lot of things have become clearer," he said, without naming names. However, Damien Riat and Calvin Thürkauf in particular recommended themselves with their performances. The captains of Lausanne and Lugano respectively played together in a line. Riat was the most productive Swiss player with one goal and four assists.
Olympic line-up not published until January
Fischer identified potential for improvement above all in the game when the numbers were tied, in which too many small mistakes crept in. These prevented them from putting their opponents under constant pressure with an offensive game. With the Olympic Games and the home World Championships just around the corner, this is exactly what they will need to achieve great things.
The players are now eagerly awaiting Patrick Fischer and his team to make the final decisions regarding the Olympic squad. The 25 names must be announced by the end of December. Public communication will not take place until the new year.
