The Swiss League playoffs start on Tuesday. As the qualification winners, EHC Basel are in pole position, but only La Chaux-de-Fonds and Visp are eligible for promotion.
11.02.2025, 04:30
11.02.2025, 06:58
SDA
Just over ten years after going bankrupt, EHC Basel is knocking on the door of Switzerland's best ice hockey league again - or so you might think. With a two-point lead, the Basel team relegated defending champions La Chaux-de-Fonds to second place in the qualifiers in a thrilling finish, but promotion to the National League is currently not an issue in the traditional football city on the banks of the Rhine. EHC Basel has not applied for promotion.
Sports director Kevin Schläpfer recently spoke of a "decision of reason" in the BZ Basel. Only three years after promotion to the Swiss League and the associated return to professional ice hockey, the move is understandable. After all, the gap between the highest and second-highest Swiss leagues is huge in both sporting and economic terms - promotion is a real feat.
League qualification possible
This also applies to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the B champions of the last two years, who, like Visp, still do not have a modern ice rink. The teams from Neuchâtel and the Valais are the only ones entitled to promotion and, if they win the play-off final at the beginning of April, could play the league qualifier against the play-out loser of the National League. However, it would be a big surprise if the same 14 clubs were not in the top league next season.
For EHC Basel, the championship title remains (for the time being) the ultimate goal. The first hurdle in the knockout phase is the GCK Lions. The Zurich Cubs, who surprisingly advanced to the final a year ago, only qualified for the play-off quarter-finals on the last matchday and appear to be a feasible opponent.
Derby thriller in Valais
However, Basel struggled to cope with the role of favorites a year ago when, after finishing second in the qualifiers, they crashed to a 4-1 defeat against Visp in the first playoff round. For their part, the Upper Valais team, coached by Heinz Ehlers until the end of the season, face a delicate task this year with the derby against cantonal rivals Sierre.
The duels between Thurgau (3rd) and promoted Chur (6th) and La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd) and Olten (7th) also promise to be very exciting, especially as Olten can count on a number of returning players after a difficult qualifying campaign with countless injuries. Olten coach Christian Wohlwend exuded a lot of confidence in an interview with the Solothurner Zeitung: "I am convinced that we can overcome the La Chaux-de-Fonds hurdle." The game will be played in a best-of-7 format.
