Maybe a bit late to the party but I'm with stv on this one. You might say that it's a small sample size still, but look at the best Swiss NHL players. Nothing has changed in the last 10 years, even if a lot more Swiss players are trying their luck in the CHL/AHL now than 10 years ago. Our starplayers all came straight out of Switzerland. Josi, Streit, Hiller, Diaz, Brunner. There is no indication that a player who developed in north america will be a better NHLer than a guy who developped in Switzerland. If he has the talent, he will be in the NHL, otherwise not.
Therefore I also think that it's sad that a player like Andrighetto refuses to play for Geneva so that he can play thirdline minutes in Hamilton, even if there is no guarantee that it will benefit his career. We should wake up and also look for our NLA in our own country. It is still the Swiss junior clubs that give those players the opportunity to play competitive hockey, who teach them how to shoot and skate. But with 16-18 more and more of those players seem to leave for north america. What is the benefit of that? A good player will always be a good player, whether it's in the NHL or in the NLA.
Would you say Weinhandl is a worse player because he wasn't able to grab a NHL spot? Is Josi a worse player because - the WC showed it - he is an even better player on the big ice as on the small ice? A guy like Zetterberg wasn't worlds better as Brunner in Zug. With all respect, of course those players are in the NHL for some reason, but the size of the ice surface has a biiiig influence on the "status" of a player. And yes, I would go as far and say that guys like Josi or Brunner would be way better on the big ice than some of the NHL players who are better than them in the NHL.
Long story short, I find it sad that fans in Switzerland miss out on more and more young Swiss talents because they think they need to present them to the NHL GMs, even if there is no guarantee that it will benefit their careers. Maybe NHL GMs should start being a bit less ignorant. Hockey world is changing fast.