WJC: 2024 WJC20 Switzerland roster talk

[GermanSpitfire]

Why would Bichsel not be available next year?

Dallas could pull a Detroit and ”advise“ their prospects not to participate?

Only thing I can think of

 

[jonas2244]

If he plays in NA it's not guaranteed that he's allowed to play.

 

[Speyer]

If he plays in NA it's not guaranteed that he's allowed to play.

While I think anything can happen if he exceeds in next years prospect and development camp for Dallas, I would be surprised if he is already an NHL regular next season. I definitely think he could profit from one more year either in Sweden or the AHL. If the latter should be the case I don't see why Dallas wouldn't give the green light for a WJC participation. Some NHL teams even send their eligible players if they already have established themselves in the big league.

 

[Speyer]

That should open doors for the 06 forward kids like Reber, Forget, Ponzetto, Antenen or Giger. Right now I'd put them all on the roster but we'll see what the situation looks like after the summer.

Its crazy how deep the 06 birth year is compared to other classes. They could probably form two national teams out of them and both could beat the 05's easily in an age adjusted scenario. Last year Saladin and Bosson looked like the best forwards besides Reber; this year its Forget and Ponzetto. Even some guys who couldn't even crack the roster last year are somewhat promising. Guys like Janis Weber who had a decent season in the Swedish u18 league for example. I expect at least some of those players to be ready next winter. The question is wether Jenni is willing to call them up to the U20 team already.

 

[Hinterland]

While I think anything can happen if he exceeds in next years prospect and development camp for Dallas, I would be surprised if he is already an NHL regular next season. I definitely think he could profit from one more year either in Sweden or the AHL. If the latter should be the case I don't see why Dallas wouldn't give the green light for a WJC participation. Some NHL teams even send their eligible players if they already have established themselves in the big league.

No point in heading over to NA for Bichsel. Last season was almost a lost one for him because of the concussion and other injuries. As a result, he now has just one full SHL season under his belt. It would make sense to stay in Europe for another one, be it in Sweden or back home in Switzerland. AHL isn't really appealing for European top prospects, especially if there's no real path to the NHL. The Stars have their defense set for next season but in 2024 several contracts are gonna expire. If Bichsel heads to NA now then he'll be an injury fill in at the very best. It would be smart to wait another year.

Furthermore, the Swedes now has this deal with the NHL that makes it complicated for NHL teams to sign prospects outta Sweden. I'm not sure if those rules still apply in this case since Bichsel's contract isn't under contract for next season but if they do (probably not), that would make a move to NA even more unlikely.

 

[Speyer]

No point in heading over to NA for Bichsel. Last season was almost a lost one for him because of the concussion and other injuries. As a result, he now has just one full SHL season under his belt. It would make sense to stay in Europe for another one, be it in Sweden or back home in Switzerland. AHL isn't really appealing for European top prospects, especially if there's no real path to the NHL. The Stars have their defense set for next season but in 2024 several contracts are gonna expire. If Bichsel heads to NA now then he'll be an injury fill in at the very best. It would be smart to wait another year.

Furthermore, the Swedes now has this deal with the NHL that makes it complicated for NHL teams to sign prospects outta Sweden. I'm not sure if those rules still apply in this case since Bichsel's contract isn't under contract for next season but if they do (probably not), that would make a move to NA even more unlikely.

I would favor Sweden as well, if I was him but some NHL teams like to bring their European prospects over to the AHL to get them acclimated to the smaller ice surface and more intense game schedule. I don't really follow Dallas at all so I don't know how they would handle this.

 

[Hinterland]

I would favor Sweden as well, if I was him but some NHL teams like to bring their European prospects over to the AHL to get them acclimated to the smaller ice surface and more intense game schedule. I don't really follow Dallas at all so I don't know how they would handle this.

Bichsel won't have any issues with the smaller ice. If anything, it helps him. He's skating very well for a big man but it's still probably the one of areas where he has the most room for improvement. Skating improvements are easier to do on the larger European ice than in the AHL. As a rather big and tough kid, Bichsel would absolutely thrive in the AHL, a league on the smaller ice with a focus on physicality. He has yet to completely master the European leagues though. If he could stay another year in Leksands then that would be ideal. Playing a year in Switzerland wouldn't be a dumb idea either if he picks the right club.

 

[josi90]

Do you think some 05 Players are about to make there Pro Debut this Season? Could be a good help to impose for a place for the WJC.

 

[Speyer]

Do you think some 05 Players are about to make there Pro Debut this Season? Could be a good help to impose for a place for the WJC.

A few guys might play in the NLB, but I don't see any 05's getting meaningful minutes in the NLA. I mean you never know, but it would be against the coaching trends that we had in the last few years. As far as NLB exposure goes, the players associated with a club that has a NLB farmteam are definitely at an advantage. Whether anybody of them is going to make the WJC roster is hard to say, it's certainly not unthinkable. But as we discussed in the other thread, I'd say it's probably going to be easier for the forwards. The 04 D group is just too deep and they already have a foothold at the pro level. Then there are 06 dmen like Utinkov, Muggli etc. pushing from behind too.

Who do you consider the most likely candidates to make the jump next year?

 

[josi90]

A few guys might play in the NLB, but I don't see any 05's getting meaningful minutes in the NLA. I mean you never know, but it would be against the coaching trends that we had in the last few years. As far as NLB exposure goes, the players associated with a club that has a NLB farmteam are definitely at an advantage. Whether anybody of them is going to make the WJC roster is hard to say, it's certainly not unthinkable. But as we discussed in the other thread, I'd say it's probably going to be easier for the forwards. The 04 D group is just too deep and they already have a foothold at the pro level. Then there are 06 dmen like Utinkov, Muggli etc. pushing from behind too.

Who do you consider the most likely candidates to make the jump next year?

I think it will be difficult for the 05s. Braillard would have been a candidate in my opinion, but I think he's still in Canada. Otherwise, I think Simon Meier definitely has the talent, but he would have to improve in the physical area. Endo Meier has already played one Swiss League game this season but I don't know what they are going to do with him. I think Ustinkov will continue to be pushed in Zurich and will get his professional games. Bünzli should have a few professional games just from the size and mass. The same goes for Horak in Zug. However, young players don't have it easy in Zug, especially since the farm team has gone. That would have been an ideal opportunity for Horak as well as Muggli. Huet could also get the chance to play sporadically in the Swiss League.

 

[Speyer]

I think it will be difficult for the 05s. Braillard would have been a candidate in my opinion, but I think he's still in Canada. Otherwise, I think Simon Meier definitely has the talent, but he would have to improve in the physical area. Endo Meier has already played one Swiss League game this season but I don't know what they are going to do with him. I think Ustinkov will continue to be pushed in Zurich and will get his professional games. Bünzli should have a few professional games just from the size and mass. The same goes for Horak in Zug. However, young players don't have it easy in Zug, especially since the farm team has gone. That would have been an ideal opportunity for Horak as well as Muggli. Huet could also get the chance to play sporadically in the Swiss League.

Yeah, I don't think this is unreasonable. There was some speculation that Ustinkov could leave for the CHL but thats just rumors right now. Then for Meier and Horak its going to harder anyway for obvious reasons. Dismembering the Academy Team was definitely a huge blow for our junior hockey. With that decision Zug also pretty much flushed all the money previously invested in their junior program down the toilet. But it really tells you a lot about the mentality of the people running the NL clubs. Its all about short term business interests and not about sustainability and a healthy domestic player base. To bad that most of the club fans don't really care about anything other than winning as many championships as possible either.

 

[josi90]

Yeah, I don't think this is unreasonable. There was some speculation that Ustinkov could leave for the CHL but thats just rumors right now. Then for Meier and Horak its going to harder anyway for obvious reasons. Dismembering the Academy Team was definitely a huge blow for our junior hockey. With that decision Zug also pretty much flushed all the money previously invested in their junior program down the toilet. But it really tells you a lot about the mentality of the people running the NL clubs. Its all about short term business interests and not about sustainability and a healthy domestic player base. To bad that most of the club fans don't really care about anything other than winning as many championships as possible either.

I don't understand why Zug did that. They were quite successful in the junior level and always brought out good players. With the withdrawal of the academy team, they have taken away the chance of many good young players like Dario Allenspach, Tim Muggli, Arno Nussbaumer, Leon Muggli, Tim Horak, Nic Balestra etc. to develop well and get early exposure to professional games which would definitely have been too good for Zug in the future. As of now, there is simply no future in Zug as a junior and that can be very difficult for talented Zug players. Justin Gull, one of the most talented 05-ers before he was slowed down by injuries leaves Zug after 2 years to return to Zurich. Might as well be there at least he has options with the GCK Lions.

Do you think players born in 05/06 like the ones mentioned above should leave the club if possible and maybe try out abroad if it makes sense? If so, who would come into question?

 

[Speyer]

I don't understand why Zug did that. They were quite successful in the junior level and always brought out good players. With the withdrawal of the academy team, they have taken away the chance of many good young players like Dario Allenspach, Tim Muggli, Arno Nussbaumer, Leon Muggli, Tim Horak, Nic Balestra etc. to develop well and get early exposure to professional games which would definitely have been too good for Zug in the future. As of now, there is simply no future in Zug as a junior and that can be very difficult for talented Zug players. Justin Gull, one of the most talented 05-ers before he was slowed down by injuries leaves Zug after 2 years to return to Zurich. Might as well be there at least he has options with the GCK Lions.

Do you think players born in 05/06 like the ones mentioned above should leave the club if possible and maybe try out abroad if it makes sense? If so, who would come into question?

Its hard to say. I guess it depends on the individual situation. A guy like Jamiro Reber probably has a better chance to get promoted to the first team in the foreseeable future than someone like Horak or Muggli in Zug. But he is a special case anyway with his family connections. I guess if there is the possibility to play in the NLB/SL as soon as you turn 17 or 18 staying in Switzerland is not the worst option. But if a player is locked in our weak U20 league for too long it can seriously stunt his development.

As far as I know even Marcel Jenni and der other junior national team coaches recommend almost all Swiss junior players to go abroad, if possible. The best options are probably Sweden, North America and to a lesser degree Finland. But you can only play in Canada if a team from the three major junior leagues (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) picks you in the CHL Import Draft. I am not sure how it would work with a move to Sweden or Finland. I'd guess the players agent would contact the junior teams there to ask around who might be interested in his client. I think It might work in a similar fashion if a player wants to move to the United States to play in the USHL, but I am not completely sure. That being said, finding the right spot is pretty tricky. If a player has a hard time adjusting to the new team (and ice surface) he can find himself at the bottom of the line up. Kimo Gruber just had a terrible season in the OHL for example.

 

[josi90]

Its hard to say. I guess it depends on the individual situation. A guy like Jamiro Reber probably has a better chance to get promoted to the first team in the foreseeable future than someone like Horak or Muggli in Zug. But he is a special case anyway with his family connections. I guess if there is the possibility to play in the NLB/SL as soon as you turn 17 or 18 staying in Switzerland is not the worst option. But if a player is locked in our weak U20 league for too long it can seriously stunt his development.

As far as I know even Marcel Jenni and der other junior national team coaches recommend almost all Swiss junior players to go abroad as of late. The best options are probably Sweden, North America and to a lesser degree Finland. But you can only play in Canada if a team from the three major junior leagues (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) picks you in the CHL Import Draft. I am not sure how it would work with a move to Sweden or Finland. I'd guess the players agent would contact the junior teams there to ask around who might be interested in his client. I think It might work in a similar fashion if a player wants to move to the United States to play in the USHL, but I am not completely sure. That being said, finding the right spot is pretty tricky. If a player has a hard time adjusting to the new team (and ice surface) he can find himself at the bottom of the line up. Kimo Gruber just had a terrible season in the OHL for example.

Thank you! I appreciate your answer. Yes Gruber was definitely disappointing as was Hull. I'm curious to see how Gruber will do in Zurich now. Will Hull stay overseas again?

 

[Speyer]

Thank you! I appreciate your answer. Yes Gruber was definitely disappointing as was Hull. I'm curious to see how Gruber will do in Zurich now. Will Hull stay overseas again?

I don't know what he intends to do. I am not even sure if he has made a decision yet.

 

[Kuracmugger]

I watched a bit of the game against czechia today and i wasn’t very convinced by this team. Lorin Grüter in Net looked bad on some goals and the skaters weren’t very good either. I liked Miles Müller and was a bit surprised by leo Braillard who had zero impact when i watched an tommaso de Luca was also a bit invisible when i was watching. I think this team isn’t looking very good and we really need Lian Bichsel to be competitive…

 

[josi90]

I watched a bit of the game against czechia today and i wasn’t very convinced by this team. Lorin Grüter in Net looked bad on some goals and the skaters weren’t very good either. I liked Miles Müller and was a bit surprised by leo Braillard who had zero impact when i watched an tommaso de Luca was also a bit invisible when i was watching. I think this team isn’t looking very good and we really need Lian Bichsel to be competitive…

unfortunately i can only agree. it looked a bit like they didn't want to...

 

[Speyer]

I watched a bit of the game against czechia today and i wasn’t very convinced by this team. Lorin Grüter in Net looked bad on some goals and the skaters weren’t very good either. I liked Miles Müller and was a bit surprised by leo Braillard who had zero impact when i watched an tommaso de Luca was also a bit invisible when i was watching. I think this team isn’t looking very good and we really need Lian Bichsel to be competitive…

I haven't seen any of the games myself but giving up so many goals against the Czechs is definitely a bit worrisome. I really thought this was a pretty solid group of d men for our standards even without Bichsel. But such early games are often to be taken with a grain of salt too. Maybe the have not found their legs yet after the offseason. The lack of talent in regards to goaltending and the forward group is obvious though. Lets just hope that some of the 06 born players will good enough to reinforce the team until the WJC starts. And even then guys like Bichsel, Dionicio, Taibel and DeLuca will need to step up big time in order to have a successful tournament.

 

[Hinterland]

Haven't watched any of the games but firstly those are meaningless exhibition games and secondly, all three goalies listed are very poor. I hope they bring some underager goalies to the WJC20 because otherwise they won't go anywhere. With guys like Grüter, Beglieri or Uberti this team won't be able to compete. I'd be fine with Huet after his mostly stellar WJC18 but I'd honestly just go with the 06 goalies.

 

[Kuracmugger]

I haven't seen any of the games myself but giving up so many goals against the Czechs is definitely a bit worrisome. I really thought this was a pretty solid group of d men for our standards even without Bichsel. But such early games are often to be taken with a grain of salt too. Maybe the have not found their legs yet after the offseason. The lack of talent in regards to goaltending and the forward group is obvious though. Lets just hope that some of the 06 born players will good enough to reinforce the team until the WJC starts. And even then guys like Bichsel, Dionicio, Taibel and DeLuca will need to step up big time in order to have a successful tournament.

I hope some of the 04 Guys playing NL next season take some big steps. And yes of course it’s july so you shouldn’t analyze to much however i wasn’t very convinced.

 

[Kuracmugger]

The Team looked a lot better today they nearly got the win over a good finnish team. I prefer Uberti in net over Grüter and the skaters were mostly good. I am a bit disappointed with Noah Greuter he really fell off, he was once touted as a potential draft pick but he looks like a regular u20 player.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Any word on where goalie Tim Metzger is playing this season?

He is not returning to Everett in the WHL.

 

[Hinterland]

Any word on where goalie Tim Metzger is playing this season?

He is not returning to Everett in the WHL.

Got Ewan Huet's gig with Lausanne's U20 team. Huet is with the Regina Pats now. I'd select neither of them for the WJC20. Maybe Huet because he's kinda solid but certainly not Metzger. The 06 goalies are better.

 

[Speyer]

Got Ewan Huet's gig with Lausanne's U20 team. Huet is with the Regina Pats now. I'd select neither of them for the WJC20. Maybe Huet because he's kinda solid but certainly not Metzger. The 06 goalies are better.

I would also favor a 06 goalie unless Huet has an absolute breakout season in the WHL. I am pretty sure he will get the starting position in any case though since Jenni likes him. I also don't really get this obsession from the NJ fandom for any semi obscure prospect with a swiss passport. If you wan't to draft a swiss goalie the 06 and 07 born players are the ones to look for.

 

[Hinterland]

I would also favor a 06 goalie unless Huet has an absolute breakout season in the WHL. I am pretty sure he will get the starting position in any case though since Jenni likes him. I also don't really get this obsession from the NJ fandom for any semi obscure prospect with a swiss passport. If you wan't to draft a swiss goalie the 06 and 07 born players are the ones to look for.

To be fair, it looks like they got a steal with Schmid who mostly also wasn't particularly good as a junior. I agree that talentwise, Metzger is a far cry from Schmid though. Switzerland has many younger, better and more talented goalies.