WJC: Switzerland 2019 Roster Talk

[iginlafan77]

It appears the Swiss camp roster has been posted on their federation website.

Goalies:
Luca Jan Hollenstein
Akira Schmid

Defense:
Guillaume Anex
Davyd Barandun
Gianluca Burger
Nico Gross
Simon Le Coultre
Lucas Matewa
Janis Moser
Dario Wuthrich
Tim Berni
Tobias Geisser

Forward:
Yannick Bruschweiler
Marco Cavalleri
Gillian Kohler
Philipp Kurashev
Sven Luenberger
Julian Mettler
Nicolas Muller
Valentin Nussbaumer
Stephane Patry
Justin Sigrist
Kyen Sopa
Ramon Tanner
Luca Wyss
Axel Simic
Nando Eggenberger

A few talented returnees including Geisser, named one of the top 3 players of the tournament for the Swiss last year.
NHL draftees include 4th rounders Geisser, Nico Gross and Phillip Kurashev, 5th round netminder Akira Schmid, and 6th rounder Tim Berni.
Valentin Nussbaumer and Kyen Sopa are potential 2019 picks.
Also of note: Nico Hischier is still of age for the tournament, but will of course not be available.

The Swiss will be looking to improve upon back to back quarterfinal losses, and avoid relegation round participation.

Click to read more...

 

[Gianpaolo]

I heard a lot of positive feedback about Janis Moser, he's having a lot of TOI with Biel in the Swiss league and could make the NHL very soon.

 

[iginlafan77]

I heard a lot of positive feedback about Janis Moser, he's having a lot of TOI with Biel in the Swiss league and could make the NHL very soon.

Interesting. This could be a good looking defence group for the Swiss.

 

[duga]

GKs and Ds look as expected.

On attack Im missing the underagers Jeremi Gerber and Sandro Schmid. IMO the best 00ers beside Nussbaumer and Sopa. Better than their peers Mettler or the stagnating Kohler (too slow) and Patry (too soft). I would have prefered them to the 99ers Wyss, Cavalleri or Brüschweiler too.

Not that they would have been the biggest difference makers, but historically the surprising picks hardly ever paied dividents for the Swiss and normally end up with less and less TOI through the course of a tournament.

I wonder if Rochette got an invitation and declined...

Locks to make the team:

D:
Geisser
Le Coultre
Gross
Berni
Moser

F:
Kurashev
Eggenberger
Müller
Leuenberger
Simic

Nussbaumer
Sopa

 

[iginlafan77]

GKs and Ds look as expected.

On attack Im missing the underagers Jeremi Gerber and Sandro Schmid. IMO the best 00ers beside Nussbaumer and Sopa. Better than their peers Mettler or the stagnating Kohler (too slow) and Patry (too soft). I would have prefered them to the 99ers Wyss, Cavalleri or Brüschweiler too.

Not that they would have been the biggest difference makers, but historically the surprising picks hardly ever paied dividents for the Swiss and normally end up with less and less TOI through the course of a tournament.

I wonder if Rochette got an invitation and declined...

Locks to make the team:

D:
Geisser
Le Coultre
Gross
Berni
Moser

F:
Kurashev
Eggenberger
Müller
Leuenberger
Simic

Nussbaumer
Sopa

I suppose we can also throw both goalies in with the locks, since they only named the two.

 

[duga]

I suppose we can also throw both goalies in with the locks, since they only named the two.

Yep, that's why I skipped them.

Question:

Where have you seen the extended roster on SIHF? I can't find it.

 

[iginlafan77]

Yep, that's why I skipped them.

Question:

Where have you seen the extended roster on SIHF? I can't find it.

Under national teams>U20>Team

Team

Here’s the link.

 

[duga]

Under national teams>U20>Team

Team

Here’s the link.

That's not the acctual roster for the WC.

It's just a collection of players that played for the U20 during the season, or would be locks if available.

When they release the prelimary roster, you would find it either in the news section or like this:
https://m.sihf.ch/de/national-teams/u20/schedule, where it says Aufgebot/Convocation right under "WM-Vorbereitung" Nothing there yet.

A bit weird I know.

But thx anyway.

 

[iginlafan77]

That's not the acctual roster for the WC.

It's just a collection of players that played for the U20 during the season, or would be locks if available.

When they release the prelimary roster, you would find it either in the news section or like this:
https://m.sihf.ch/de/national-teams/u20/schedule, where it says Aufgebot/Convocation right under "WM-Vorbereitung" Nothing there yet.

A bit weird I know.

But thx anyway.

Okay interesting.
A bit weird that eliteprospects also appears to have the same list up for the Swiss WJC roster as of now.

 

[duga]

Maybe you are right.

But I guess the SIHF, or one of the swiss hockeynews-sites would have published it till now.

We'll see in the next few days.


Anyway, it will be a pretty good team, even without Hischier. Clearly better then last year and probably better than the next 2 years.

They should make the QFs, and they are good enough for a potential upset there.

Unlike the U-18, who are in heavy danger of being relegated this year.

 

[iginlafan77]

Maybe you are right.

But I guess the SIHF, or one of the swiss hockeynews-sites would have published it till now.

We'll see in the next few days.


Anyway, it will be a pretty good team, even without Hischier. Clearly better then last year and probably better than the next 2 years.

They should make the QFs, and they are good enough for a potential upset there.

Unlike the U-18, who are in heavy danger of being relegated this year.

They should make quarterfinals, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them in the relegation round. I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see this team go winless in the round robin. I certainly can't see this team losing in the relegation round, as Kazakhstan will likely be there from the other side.

 

[duga]

They should make quarterfinals, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them in the relegation round. I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see this team go winless in the round robin. I certainly can't see this team losing in the relegation round, as Kazakhstan will likely be there from the other side.

Of course, the Swiss are pretty much always 7th or 8th best team at the WHCs. So Relegation round can always happen, if they lose their must-win game against the weakest opponent in the group.

The question's year-after-year the same: is it more likely, that they lose against the 9th/10th team, or that they are capable to upset a top-6 nation.

This year with a pretty good all-around team, and Denmark with a rather ordinary team, I think the latter is more likely.

 

[iginlafan77]

Now here's the actual camp roster

Goalkeepers (3): Luca Jan Hollenstein (EV train), Akira Schmid (Omaha Lancers / USA), Gianluca Zaetta (EV train).

Defenders (9): David Aebischer (Gatineau Olympiques / CAN), Davyd Barandun (HC Davos), Tim Berni (GCK / ZSC Lions), Gianluca Burger (GCK / ZSC Lions), Tobias Geisser (Hershey Bears / USA), Nico Gross (Oshawa Generals / CAN), Simon Le Coultre (Moncton Wildcats / CAN), Janis Moser (Biel-Bienne EHC), Dario Wüthrich (EV Zug).

Forward (15): Yannick Brüschweiler (GCK / ZSC Lions), Ian Derungs (Kingston Frontenacs / CAN), Nando Eggenberger (Oshawa Generals / CAN), Jeremi Gerber (SC Bern), Philipp Kurashev (Québec Remparts / CAN), Marco Lehmann (EHC Kloten), Sven Leuenberger (EV Zug), Nicolas Müller (Modo Hockey / SWE), Valentin Nussbaumer (Shawinigan Cataractes / CAN), Sandro Schmid (Malmo Redhawks / SWE), Justin Sigrist (GCK / ZSC Lions), Axel Simic (Lausanne HC), Kyen Sopa (Niagara IceDogs / CAN), Matthew Verboon (Salmon Arm Silverbacks / CAN), Luca Wyss (SC Langenthal).

 

[duga]

You beat me to it.


Now Im happy with the roster!

As expected Gerber and Schmid are part of it. They should make the team along the other underagers Nussbaumer and Sopa. Verboon the 5th 00er is an interesting pick. Physical strong 2-way player, with roots in NA. Went to NA this season, will play college hockey next year. Could see him on the 4th line.

I'd probably cut Derungs and Brüschweiler.

On the D side the problem is that the 5-6 best players are all lefties. Only Burger, Wüthrich and Aebischer are righties. Nevertheless I expect 2 of them being cut.

GKs should be Hollenstein and Schmid.

 

[duga]

And no Rochette

 

[iginlafan77]

And no Rochette

What's the story with Rochette?

 

[VicRoyals]

.

 

[duga]

What's the story with Rochette?

He's dual citizen. And played a U-17 tournament for Canada recently. Putting pressure on the swiss federation to hand him a (premature) U-20 WHC ticket.

Beside that story, if a NA- based player of the quality of Derungs gets a call, they very likely tried to get Rochette too on quality alone.


It's speculativ, but it probably means, he didn't accept an invitation. Trending towards playing for Canada in the future.

 

[iginlafan77]

He's dual citizen. And played a U-17 tournament for Canada recently. Putting pressure on the swiss federation to give him a (premature) U-20 WHC ticket.

Beside that story, if a NA- based player of the quality of Derungs gets a call, they very likely tried to get Rochette too on quality alone.


It's speculativ, but it probably means, he didn't accept an invitation. Trending towards playing for Canada in the future.

Ah interesting. Played for Canada at the u17 Challenge, but Switzerland at Hlinka and in some exhibition games.

 

[duga]

Exactly.

His father was born in Canada, he crossed the pond and was a longtime NLA referee.

Theo was born in Switzerland and lived and trained mostly here.

 

[iginlafan77]

Exactly.

His father was born in Canada, he crossed the pond and was a longtime NLA referee.

Theo was born in Switzerland and lived and trained mostly here.

Can't say I've watched him, but purely from his production at the U17 challenge he might have a chance at making Canadian U18 or U20 rosters in the future.
Obviously he'd also be a good player for the Swiss if that's the direction he went

 

[duga]

As it looks now, he's projected to be a 1st or at least a 2nd rounder 2020.

He definitely has the talent to represent Canada at junior level. It's the senior level where we Swiss are building on our hope.

Whenever he plays an offical IIHF-game for either nation, he's automatically banned for a nation swap for 4 years.

 

[iginlafan77]

As it looks now, he's projected to be a 1st or at least a 2nd rounder 2020.

He definitely has the talent to represent Canada at junior level. It's the senior level where we Swiss are building on our hope.

Whenever he plays an offical IIHF-game for either nation, he's automatically banned for a nation swap for 4 years.

I'd be surprised to see him do much for Canada at the senior level. He obviously could turn out to be a superstar, just a hard team to make.

 

[duga]

Absolutely.

So it's canadian blood and big dreams vs. swiss cultivation and a more realistic chance of an international career... not the easiest decision to make.

 

[iginlafan77]

Absolutely.

So it's canadian blood and big dreams vs. swiss cultivation and a more realistic chance of an international career... not the easiest decision to make.

Very true.
One note, Jake Walman a couple years ago is an interesting case that might apply here I think.
Walman is Canadian born and raised, but had dual citizenship, Canadian and American. He attended a U20 camp for the USA, but was ruled ineligible by IIHF due to not playing in the USA for two full years. He was in his second year. Rochette is in his first in Canada.
Not sure if there's any reason it would be different for Rochette, since he is Swiss born and raised.