WC: 2018 - Team Switzerland

[duga]

I heard good things about Siegenthaler too, it seems he's playing a solid AHL-saison. Kukan had an injury at a very bad time, but they seem to see something in him, otherwise he wouldn't have got a one-way two year contract.

I didn't see that Ratgheb signing coming, but I see some upside in him and I think it's probably the right thing to do for his own personal development. It's a pity he's injured, he'd have also been a candidate for the WC.


If we can count on Diaz, Geering, Blum, Untersander, Loeffel and Genazzi it doesn't sound that bad. Furrer maybe (we'll see). And of course each player from NA would be an upgrade. We'll see who our defenders play in the first round.

Kukan was indeed making a very good impression before his injury. He simply looked like he belongs. That's why they want to keep him. He always had the tendency to play abit passive and underplay his skills. Not so in his last stint in the NHL. His effortless, quick first steps are effective even in the NHL.


That's very good to hear about Siegenthaler. It definitely would be a pity, if a player, who was dominant on various levels like hardly anyone before on the junior national team, wouldn't live up to the expectations. Would be very welcomed for his physical resistance alone.


On the same boat about Rathgeb. Not that I thought that he wouldn't attract interest eventually, just the timing seems to be a bit off. Before being a proven force internationally and injured. On the other side he was already at an NHL camp and his stats in the NLA and Champions League are tempting.


For me, he was always a prospect I liked a bit more than others, like Hofmann or Malgin. And I really want them to live up to their potential. Of course he would have been a strong contender for a spot on the team. And of course, he got the offensive potential and skills to make the NHL, the intensity as well. Question is, is his natural hockey sense on the D side good enough for a top6 5v5 role with the much quicker pace in the smaller rinks? One thing for sure, he won't be able to constantly joining the rush, going out of the system, as he loved to do in Fribourg. And he should either bulk up a bit more or start playing a bit less reckless. He tends to put himself in vulnerable positions, or injure himself by going into battles harder than his body can deal with. I wish him all the best.



If everyone would be availabe:


Josi, Müller, Kukan, Sbisa, Siegenthaler are all lefties. (As would be Furrer, Geering and Blum as well)


The right side is much weaker: Dubois and Blindenbacher gone, Diaz still good, but over his peak, Weber a bit an enigma, Löffel with big holes, Schlumpf is solid, but not more. So it's probably up to Untersander, Rathgeb and Fora in the near future to fill in if available.


My personal hypothetical Top 8 for the near future would probably be something like this:


Josi-Diaz

Müller-Rathgeb

Kukan-Fora

Siegenthaler-Sbisa


Size, Speed and offensive talent all there.

I could live with that.

 

[stv11]

Semifinals over, I guess this leaves a chance for Fischer to add new players for next week's games.

I assume all 8 Bern players that were at the Olympics will get a call. From Biel I hope Maurer and Kreis get a look, but I can't see any forward who would help. Fuchs is interesting but not ahead of Corvi, Albrecht and Vermin.

And hopefully Fora can play.

 

[jonas2244]

Dominik Diem had strong playoffs. Maybe he gets a call.

Malgin is out and the only Swiss available after the regular season. All AHL-players are out, too. But some of them probably will get called up to the big club. We'll see.

Andrighetto plays vs. Fiala, Josi and Weber
Kukan plays vs. the Caps
Hischier and Müller face Tampa Bay or Boston.
Niederreiter has to play in Winnipeg.

Tough job for Minnesota, especially with their injuries. Same for Colorado. Columbus vs. Washington seems pretty open. For New Jersey progressing would be another surprise (as the qualification for the playoffs were).

Anyway, talking about defense, Tim Berni has outstanding playoffs for a 18-year old.

 

[filip85]

So, Malgin, Andrighetto, Kukan, Hischier and Mueller. Not bad...

You forgot to add one of Berra/Meier.

 

[Retroglyphs]

So, Malgin, Andrighetto, Kukan, Hischier and Mueller. Not bad...

You forgot to add one of Berra/Meier.

Oh man, so much looking forward to Hischier, Meier, Malgin and GhettO - what a hefty injection of offense!

 

[jonas2244]

Oh yeah, Berra plays Meier. Or better: Berra watches Meier play.

We'll see after the first round who is out and who is fit. And who is allowed to join.

 

[stv11]

Fora added to the team. No updates about Bern and Biel players.

 

[duga]

Fora added to the team. No updates about Bern and Biel players.

Walser and Diaz too.

Good news for the D with today's additions. The Right side with Diaz, Löffel and Fora (and Untersander?) looks already solid. On the Left side, there is still a lot missing. Only Genazzi is somewhat a safe bet. Plus Blum looks tired and Furrer/Geering probably will spend a lot of energy during the finals. Luckily most guys overseas are lefties.

I'd be a happy man if Malgin joins. Just love watching him play wizzardy hockey.

But the one guy from NA I'd be most eager to see on intern. level, is Timo Meier. Size, shot and loves to play in the crease. A true alternative to Moser/Niederreiter. Would be a pleasure if 2 of those 3 were on the team.

 

[jonas2244]

Fora added to the team. No updates about Bern and Biel players.

Bern and Biel players get another week, srf reports.

Malgin is a no-brainer, really. As every other Swiss NHL-player should be. A WJC-reunion with Fiala-Malgin-Meier would be cool. But Nashville is very unlikely.

 

[Jon Riley]

Fora called for the next matches, that is quite some good news. Diaz and Walser joining too.
Edit: nevermind, you guys already said that

 

[stv11]

Bern and Biel players get another week, srf reports.

Makes sense, but it's annoying to play four games with a forward group out of which there is a possibility no one makes it to Denmark (I know it's unlikely, but possible if we get three NHL forwards plus Hollenstein, Haas, Praplan, Suter, Moser, Hofmann, Rüfenacht, Schäppi, Herzog, Scherwey and Bodenmann). Not sure why the Euro Hockey Challenge started so early this year.

 

[duga]

Bern and Biel players get another week, srf reports.

Malgin is a no-brainer, really. As every other Swiss NHL-player should be. A WJC-reunion with Fiala-Malgin-Meier would be cool. But Nashville is very unlikely.

As tempting as it sounds,
there might still are some personal issues in the air to be solved beforehand between Meier and Fiala. They didn't leave the U-20 that year in Canada on friendly terms. The tension between them was growing game-by-game, and Meier was so pissed in the end, I thought he'd beat him up right on the ice. Luckily they were split for the relegation games vs. Germany. And Rod replaced Meier to build on a proven combo from the U-18. Even Malgin was visibly frustrated with Fiala.
What a pity that was. One of the best teams on paper, we ever had. But for once the subpar teamspirit lead to a inevitable downward spiral.

 

[duga]

Makes sense, but it's annoying to play four games with a forward group out of which there is a possibility no one makes it to Denmark (I know it's unlikely, but possible if we get three NHL forwards plus Hollenstein, Haas, Praplan, Suter, Moser, Hofmann, Rüfenacht, Schäppi, Herzog, Scherwey and Bodenmann). Not sure why the Euro Hockey Challenge started so early this year.

Only if Hischier is among the 2 remaining players from the NHL beside Malgin. You only got 3 Cs in your Line-up (+Hofmann as an unlikely option). I guess Fischer wants at least 5 natural Center, so Schäppi, Malgin, Haas, Suter and... probably Corvi.











Some might say, it's Rafaele Sannitz's spot to lose though

 

[stv11]

I know it's highly unlikely and that Corvi and Vermin have a good chance to make it, but I wanted to illustrate the lack of top players in the current roster. Consequence of the increasing number of NHL forwards and of Bern and ZSC hoarding so many national team players.

And call me crazy, but I attended Lugano-Biel last Saturday and that got me thinking that if Schäppi doesn't make it for some reason, I'd give Sannitz a look for the 4th line center spot.

 

[duga]

I know it's highly unlikely and that Corvi and Vermin have a good chance to make it, but I wanted to illustrate the lack of top players in the current roster. Consequence of the increasing number of NHL forwards and of Bern and ZSC hoarding so many national team players.


And call me crazy, but I attended Lugano-Biel last Saturday and that got me thinking that if Schäppi doesn't make it for some reason, I'd give Sannitz a look for the 4th line center spot.

+some crucial injuries (Brunner, Ambühl, Romy?)

+some AHL players (Bertschy, Thürkauf, Rod)

+without Ambühl and the retirements of Hiller and Dubois, there's noone left from the generations born 74-83, the guys that brought swiss hockey back on the big stage and established them. So Furrer, Diaz, Blum, Brunner are the dinosaures now beside Ambühl.


By the way, what the hell happened to Simion this year? I really thought after a fine 16/17 season, he'd be ready this year for the next step. And grows into a dominant role in the league. Didn't happen. He's really an intriguing player: size, moves, hands, shot, everything there, but somehow he doesn't get it together over longer time. Im a bit disappointed.


The biggest gamebrakers don't play in Zürich (certainly) and Bern (probably), but Kloten though. Even if in terrifying form. And Lugano offers a few options as well.


Maybe even Sannitz. To be honest I'd have never thought, we could see this pretty banged up player, who never shied away from contact, come close to his best days again. But he's definitely making a call for in this POs. Im impressed as well.

 

[stv11]

The biggest gamebrakers don't play in Zürich (certainly) and Bern (probably), but Kloten though. Even if in terrifying form. And Lugano offers a few options as well.

I'd include Suter, Haas and Moser among the gamebreakers. Maybe Hofmann, but you never know which version you're getting.

On the other hands, the best checking line options are in Bern and Zurich. I'd love to see a Herzog-Schäppi-Rüfenacht line, with Bodenmann, Scherwey and Baltisberger as possible options. I can't see many other possibilities, just Vermin and then you're looking at comebacks from Sannitz or Walker.

 

[duga]

I'd include Suter, Haas and Moser among the gamebreakers. Maybe Hofmann, but you never know which version you're getting.

On the other hands, the best checking line options are in Bern and Zurich. I'd love to see a Herzog-Schäppi-Rüfenacht line, with Bodenmann, Scherwey and Baltisberger as possible options. I can't see many other possibilities, just Vermin and then you're looking at comebacks from Sannitz or Walker.

I agree fully about the your choice of brakers. Hollenstein/Praplan are a bit above Haas/Moser when it comes purely to that IMO.

Herzog-Schäppi would be a thing to start. I'd normally like Rüfenacht there too, but he seemed a bit spent in the SF. Still the agitating and some clever plays but not the overall energy volume a player like him needs to be effective. I'd prefer the speed and grit of Scherwey.

Walker, as much as I always liked him, seems to have strangely given up on most skillplays and only relies on his physical skills and intimidating game, which are both enormous though. I think he's still the naturally strongest swiss player and his physical game is more punishing than Niederreiter's. He still could be valuable in certain moments.

 

[Retroglyphs]

@stv11, @duga, @jonas2244

guys, just being curious: after the disappointing olympic tournament - what can we expect from team switzerland in copenhagen? will the swiss team be motivated to their hair tips to bounce back? the copenhagen group looks considerably easier than the herning group. with nhl reinforcements switzerland together with the czechs could be vying for third place (maybe even second place?) in the group, couldn't they?

 

[stv11]

@stv11, @duga, @jonas2244

guys, just being curious: after the disappointing olympic tournament - what can we expect from team switzerland in copenhagen? will the swiss team be motivated to their hair tips to bounce back? the copenhagen group looks considerably easier than the herning group. with nhl reinforcements switzerland together with the czechs could be vying for third place (maybe even second place?) in the group, couldn't they?

It's impossible to tell. I had no expectation last year with so many newcomers and minial NHL reinforcements and they had a very good tournament, while sometimes there are reasons to be optimistic but they end up missing the quarterfinals. I have no doubt the team will be motivated, but I have seen enough international tournaments to know that it's usually impossible to predict how well a team will gel.

But I am not sure what makes you think the Copenhagen group is easier, let alone considerably easier. The relative strength of the top 6 teams is impossible to predict for the moment, we just know that the USA have the highest probability to not fulfill their potential, and they are in the Herning group. Then if you compare seeds one by one, Switzerland vs Germany is always close, although Switzerland wins those a bit more often, Latvia is probably better than Slovakia right now, Norway is more consistant than Belarus but I would argue that Belarus has a higher potential, Denmark vs France is exactly the opposite, especially with Denmark playing at home, and Austria is better than Korea.

Not that I pretend this is a conclusive analysis (it's too early for those, and as I already wrote, it's impossible to predict how well a team will play), but nothing indicates that one group is stronger than the other.

 

[Retroglyphs]

It's impossible to tell. I had no expectation last year with so many newcomers and minial NHL reinforcements and they had a very good tournament, while sometimes there are reasons to be optimistic but they end up missing the quarterfinals. I have no doubt the team will be motivated, but I have seen enough international tournaments to know that it's usually impossible to predict how well a team will gel.

But I am not sure what makes you think the Copenhagen group is easier, let alone considerably easier. The relative strength of the top 6 teams is impossible to predict for the moment, we just know that the USA have the highest probability to not fulfill their potential, and they are in the Herning group. Then if you compare seeds one by one, Switzerland vs Germany is always close, although Switzerland wins those a bit more often, Latvia is probably better than Slovakia right now, Norway is more consistant than Belarus but I would argue that Belarus has a higher potential, Denmark vs France is exactly the opposite, especially with Denmark playing at home, and Austria is better than Korea.

Not that I pretend this is a conclusive analysis (it's too early for those, and as I already wrote, it's impossible to predict how well a team will play), but nothing indicates that one group is stronger than the other.

I agree that the U.S. roster overall isn't looking very promising, neither does Finland at the moment. I'm not comparing seed-by-seed, but I'd argue that Germany's & Denmark's presence in group B make the competition from between 2. - 5.position much stiffer. I'd be happy if Switzerland & France would develop a similar rivalry in group A. Not expecting too much from Slovakia & Belarus tbh... I'm however far from being proficient re. their team development.

 

[stv11]

I agree that the U.S. roster overall isn't looking very promising, neither does Finland at the moment. I'm not comparing seed-by-seed, but I'd argue that Germany's & Denmark's presence in group B make the competition from between 2. - 5.position much stiffer. I'd be happy if Switzerland & France would develop a similar rivalry in group A. Not expecting too much from Slovakia & Belarus tbh... I'm however far from being proficient re. their team development.

Germany is in the best shape they've been since 2010-11 and should be favorite to get the 4th quarterfinal spot, but that puts them at roughly the same level as Switzerland (the game went to OT when they faced each other at the Olympics). Denmark is a bit overrated because of their NHL forwards, but most of them are in the playoffs and even if they show up it's no guarantee of success, as shown by their performance in the Olympic qualifiers. In the end, I see Denmark as a 11-12th place team that sometimes manages to get a quarterfinal spot, which is roughly the same as Belarus.

Still, it's possible that Germany can keep the magic going, that playing at home will boost Denmark's confidence, and that Finland and the USA end up playing better than what their roster might suggest (which really shouldn't surprise anyone in the case of Finland), making the Herning group the stronger one. But my experience of international tournaments tells me that we won't know for sure before the games are played

 

[Retroglyphs]

Germany is in the best shape they've been since 2010-11 and should be favorite to get the 4th quarterfinal spot, but that puts them at roughly the same level as Switzerland (the game went to OT when they faced each other at the Olympics). Denmark is a bit overrated because of their NHL forwards, but most of them are in the playoffs and even if they show up it's no guarantee of success, as shown by their performance in the Olympic qualifiers. In the end, I see Denmark as a 11-12th place team that sometimes manages to get a quarterfinal spot, which is roughly the same as Belarus.

Still, it's possible that Germany can keep the magic going, that playing at home will boost Denmark's confidence, and that Finland and the USA end up playing better than what their roster might suggest (which really shouldn't surprise anyone in the case of Finland), making the Herning group the stronger one. But my experience of international tournaments tells me that we won't know for sure before the games are played

Agreed. It'll be really interesting to see, if Germany can continue to impress. As for Denmark, I can tell you from my own observation of the DEL-players S.Dahm, N.B.Jensen, M.Lauridsen, P.Bjørkstrand and M.Christensen, that these guys are in top shape and motivated from tip to toe. Everybody wants to be on the team, and I expect them to perform well in front of their home crowd.

 

[stv11]

Some bad news totday, Florida won't release Malgin for some reason, and Blum pulls a Wick. Genoni, Untersander, Haas, Rüfenacht, Bodenmann and Scherwey will join the team next week. Apparently no Biel players were called.

 

[swisdan]

More and more swiss nhlers and always so less available for Switzerland. Baerstchi always injured, Malgin not allowed to come ( but why? Cause some injuries??), guy like Sbisa who ll play the playoff but already said he had too much physical problem to play with Switzerland. Without talking about players who arrive at the contract end and dont want to be hurt.
Really disappointed with these stuffs after the NO from Bettman in South Korea. God i love the NHL, but it is the worst ennemy from National team.
I begin to wonder if we ll have one in the team. When I see Germany can enjoy Draisailt every years and we struggle to have one in the team.

Sorry for the negativity but it has to come out

 

[rimpirate]

Some bad news totday, Florida won't release Malgin for some reason, and Blum pulls a Wick. Genoni, Untersander, Haas, Rüfenacht, Bodenmann and Scherwey will join the team next week. Apparently no Biel players were called.

Really don't understand why Fischer isn't at least giving a look to Maurer/Kreis and maybe even Diem.

It's not like the national team is doing tactics drills and special teams training under Fischer anyway, so he might just as well use the camp to screen a few alternatives who had decent playoffs...