The Swiss national ice hockey team finished the first tournament of this season's Euro Hockey Tour with one win and two defeats. Nevertheless, the result is positive.
11.11.2024, 04:31
SDA
National coach Patrick Fischer hoped to carry over the momentum from winning the World Championship silver medal. This was the case as the Swiss put in solid performances against Finland (2:3 n.V. after leading 2:0) and Sweden (4:3 n.P.). They defeated the Swedes for the first time since April 7, 2016 and 16 defeats in a row. Against world champions the Czech Republic (2:5), however, they lacked a few things, which tarnished their record somewhat.
"Overall, it was good," said Lars Weibel, Director of Sport at Swiss Ice Hockey, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "We ended up paying the price against Finland. We were determined to beat the Swedes and put the pressure on accordingly. We then reacted well to the shock of the equalizer (the 3:3 was scored after a capital mistake by goalie Gilles Senn). The win was well deserved. Against the Czech Republic, on the other hand, we weren't able to match our desired level from the two previous games in terms of intensity and speed."
Debutants deliver
With the big goal of the 2026 home World Championships in Zurich and Fribourg in mind, those responsible want to give the next up-and-coming generation the opportunity to gain as much experience as possible at international level. As a result, six players who had played eight or fewer international matches before the tournament were called up.
Defender Giancarlo Chanton and forward Nicolas Baechler, both 21 years old, made their debuts in Helsinki. The former did so with two goals, but he was also self-critical, which says a lot about him. "That's the attitude we keep instilling in our players and that's what we need," says Weibel.
Baechler's debut, who was credited with an assist against the Czech Republic, can also be described as a success. The 1.88 m tall forward has been an asset to the team, especially in terms of physicality. "He plays a good role at ZSC both defensively and offensively and also brought these virtues to us," says Weibel.
The 22-year-old Théo Rochette also underlined his immense potential on several occasions, but understandably still lacked consistency. Such players should now be able to gain the necessary experience with a view to the home World Cup. The same applies to goalkeepers Stéphane Charlin and Gilles Senn, who also put in a good performance despite making mistakes.
Size and water displacement
The last game against the Czech Republic provided all the more insight as four key players - Christian Marti, Dean Kukan, Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin - were missing - the ZSC Lions' quartet left Helsinki early for the Champions Hockey League. "We saw today who has the necessary qualities and mentality and who still needs to develop more," says Weibel. "But we didn't just see who didn't perform, we also saw very positive things, for example players who were convincing without the glass and proved their physical fitness." Against the physically strong Czechs in particular, they saw how important size and water displacement are. "If you combine that with speed, then the cards are in your favor." The 21-year-old Attilio Biasca certainly belongs to this category.
In response to the objection that 41-year-old Andres Ambühl, who has now played 338 international matches, is only 1.76 m tall, Weibel replied: "Those are the few exceptions. There are players who are tall and players who play tall. But there are also players who are tall and play short."
The national team continues in mid-December. Switzerland will then host the second tournament of the Euro Hockey Tour 2024/25 in Fribourg. "We can build on the three points we've picked up," says Weibel. As a reminder: last season, the Swiss lost their first eleven games before recording their only win in the four EHT tournaments in their final game against the Czech Republic.
