Berra
Gerber
Conz
Streit-Furrer
Muller-Seger
Blindenbacher-Vauclair
Wick-Romy-Brunner
Hollenstein-
i-Moser
Suri-Ambuhl-Martschini
Trachsler-Pluss-Gardner
I was about to start this discussion, looks like I was beaten to it
It's a bit difficult to guess who will make the team, as it's Hanlon's first tournament with Switzerland and although I think that a player's skillset and previous international experience should count a lot more than his current form when it comes to international hockey, you never know how a new coach will value someone's play before he was in charge.
First, the goalies. Hiller could be available after the first round, but he hasn't played at the WC since 2008, so I don't count on him. Berra will be available and hopefully will join the team. From the NLA, the only goalie I'd be comfortable with is Stephan. Gerber doesn't look as solid as he used to be, and there's not much behind him. Flüeler is probably the next best option, but he's untested at this level, Genoni already had a decent WC but it was already 4 years ago, Manzato is back in his Basel form but probably not good enough for the national team, Mayer was injured for most of season, and Conz is one of the worst starter in the league. Maybe Zurkirchen can get a look? Anyway, hopefully Berra and Stephan will be there and the rest won't matter, if not goaltending could be a weakness.
Defense should be a strength. Streit will probably be available, but I'm not sure if he will prefer to rest. Don't forget he just turned 37. Josi should be in a deep playoff run, although you never know what can happen in the first round, and Müller would need both his NHL and AHL team to be out. On the other hand, there's a good chance some reinforcement could come from either Vancouver or Calgary. In the end, I guess it's not unrealistic to count on two NHL defensemen.
From the NLA, there's always Seger, Vauclair, Blindenbacher and Furrer to provide experience, Grossmann had a great first season in Zug, Loeffel had a breakout year, Du Bois, although I've never liked him too much at this level, played really well too, and there's still Von Gunten. And last but not least, Kukan should be back after his good showing last year (and it seems he got increased responsabilities with Luleå, although I only saw them twice and would welcome any information from LHF fans).
Regarding the forwards, there could be some trouble. The bottom six should be fine, with Trachsler being a lock to center the 4th line, Walker having a terrific season, and many possiblities for the third spot (Bieber who is proven at this level, Schäppi who was a pleasant surprise last year, Wieser who showed nice things during the exhibition tournaments, or Froideveaux who took a leading role with Lausanne). I think you're spot on with the third line, Ambühl and Suri have been a fixture in this role since 2013 and work well together, and the chemistry between Suri and Martschini is difficult to pass on.
On the other hand, it will be tough to find enough top six players. There are three possibilities at center: Romy, Plüss and
i. Romy is injured and hasn't played in the playoffs yet. He should be back next week if his team makes it through the first round, but it's possible he will take care of his injury once his club season is over. Plüss should be a lock, but he will be 38 when the tournament starts, and already declined last year because he had no gas left.
i is a lock to make it, even though he hasn't been as impressive as last season. If all three end up on the team, I guess that Ambühl will play on the wing somewhere in the bottom six. Regarding wingers, Hollenstein is the only lock. Moser would normally be seen as a lock, but he was injured for half of the season and hasn't shown much offence since, so he may be more of a 4th liner right now. Brunner got a head injury during the second game of the playoffs and although he should play again tonight, if he's concussed he will probably prefer to skip the tournament. Wick and Sprunger have retired from international hockey and won't go to Prague. Bodenman didn't do much this season, and Gardner didn't produce as much as usual. I guess this makes Pestoni the next best option. From North America, things looked good for a long time, but Minnesota is back in a playoff spot and looks set to enter the post season with a lot of momentum, and Bärtschi was just traded to a team going to the playoffs, so in the worst case neither him nor Niederreiter will be available. I wouldn't count on Fiala at all as even with Milwaukee out, Nashville will probably want him on their roster for the playoffs. If nothing works out, I guess that Suri and Martschini will have to play on the top six.
So, best case Scenario would be something like:
Moser - Romy - Brunner
Niederreiter/Bärtschi -
i - Hollenstein
Suri - Plüss - Martschini
Ambühl - Trachsler - Walker
and the worst case:
Suri - Ambühl - Martschini
Pestoni -
i - Hollenstein
Bieber - Trachsler - Walker
Froideveaux - Schäppi - Wieser
I guess this could be realistic:
Brunner/Niederreiter/Bärtschi - Romy/Plüss - Moser
Pestoni/Bodenmann/Niederreiter -
i - Hollenstein
Suri - Ambühl - Martschini
Bieber/Wieser/Schäppi - Trachsler - Walker
I guess we'll have to wait for two weeks and see who the first camp invites are.
