He also has a really good mentor in Martin Plüss. The guy's practically a Swiss hockey legend.
http://www.bernerzeitung.ch/sport/hockey/Wegen-Boucher-spiele-ich-in-Bern/story/23078794
I think google has a bit of trouble with the Swiss German
Actually, Swiss German is not a written language but rather a spoken dialect. That article is in "proper" German. With that said, Google struggles with it due to nature of the language, containing many words that have two or more meanings.
I decided to have a go at it, decided my German is still not fluent enough (although I understood most of it), and recruited the help of a local who speaks damn near perfect German, my mother.
I wrote a summary of the "important" bits, namely regarding "New Bern" and how this has changed Bertschy's success, since we are mostly interested in his development rather than NLA in general.
Q: (Head coach) Guy Boucher has talked a lot about the "New Bern". Have we seen it so far in the first two games?
Christoph Bertschy (CB): In the game against Biel, for sure. Against Ambri, at least partially. We are still able to play better, and we are nowhere near the finished product yet. It is important that we prove it by hard work.
Q: What does the coach mean by "New SC Bern"?
CB: We play with a lot more intensity. During (previous HC) Antti Törmänen's reign we had a different strategy, namely using one-on one defense in our zone. We have now switched over to zone defense. This means not getting as tired, and being able to clear our end more effectively because we have the required energy. Playing one-on one on D is very tiring, the new strategy suits me much better. Willpower and responsibility are very important in our team now. Everyone is doing their part, and the rotating captaincy is fine. The new instructions brought a fresh breeze in our locker room, improving the atmosphere and bonding the team. Last year, our team spirit started to disappear as the season progressed.
Q: Has this made you more confident regarding a possible playoff spot?
CB: The league is very evenly matched, and there are no clear favorites. SC Bern is now even more ready for the challenge and wants to win.
Bertschy also credited the coach for putting him in a line with Plüss and Tristan Scherwey, saying they are able to play a fast game, understand each other well and have a good, natural chemistry together.
To me, this seems like very good news. Not only is Bertschy finally starting to progress amongst men, but his coach is employing a very similar strategy to the MN Wild organization. This serves Bertschy well, if he wants to make the jump. And it looks like he is more than ready to develop in the AHL as well, which is not always the case with European prospects.
The kid always had great talent, it's about time he is starting to put it all together in a senior level. If he has a good season in NLA, who knows, he might make the jump next summer. I, for one, wish him the best of luck. After all, a skilled center with soft hands and natural offensive ability is never a bad thing to have in your prospect pool.
I agree, seems to be the build of our team.
