World Junior Preview: Switzerland Needs Chemistry to Shine

One of the biggest success stories when it comes to hockey growth happens to be with Switzerland, a country that went from having zero NHLers in the league in the 90's to hitting their peak of 1.7% of NHLers coming from the country for the 2017-2018 season.

Thanks to the likes of Roman Josi, Nino Niederreiter and Nico Hischier, the country has had reasons to cheer at the World Juniors over the past ten years. They’ve had some surprising performances, including their fourth-place finish in 2010, a year after just earning promotion.

This year, the team will need a bit of luck. It’s still expected that they’ll be able to make the quarterfinals, but after that, especially with the expected resurgence of the Czech Republic, Switzerland’s tournament could end up being rather lacklustre this year unless somebody can fill the void of the missing Hischier.

Goaltending: Switzerland still holds the honor of having one of the most memorable goalie performances of all time at the World Juniors, and that’s Benjamin Conz’s 2010 tournament. Since then, however, the team has struggled to find much stability between the pipes, and despite a few positives over the past few years, it’s typically not their strongest position.

Returning to the team this year is Matteo Ritz, who didn’t actually see any action in the Swiss’ run to the quarterfinals. If you check out his stats online, you'll notice he has a 48.65 GAA in one NLA game with Lausanne, so you may be thinking 'uh oh'. Of course, that stat is skewed due to only playing a few minutes, but the 19-year-old is poised to become a full-time NLAer in a few years and this is his best chance to prove himself. As a whole, he hasn’t been facing great competition down in the Swiss minor league ranks but he did look really good with the Swiss in U20 exhibition games last year.

Another fellow returnee, Philip Wüthrich, doesn't cover a lot of net, but he has put up great numbers with SC Bern's junior team. Wüthrich was the best goalie at the International Chablais Hockey tournament back in November, and while they did play a couple of Division IA teams, he held his ground when it matters most. An early edge could go to Wüthrich at this point, but it’s expected that they’ll share the goalie duties.

Defensemen: The blue line is typically Switzerland’s strongest position, no matter what tournament they’re in. They’ll have to find a way to replace Jonas Siegenthaler, but likely in the form of a couple of players instead of one great one. Dominik Egli could be one of the answers for the team. Egil outplayed many of his older companions on the roster at last year’s team, and while he doesn’t have much size to work with, he’s got the pure skill. He’s played well with a weak EHC Kloten team and is noticeable in most games, usually for a positive reason.

Washington Capitals prospect Tobias Geisser, however, will likely earn most of the ice time. The Swiss gave him a lot of chances in exhibition contests back in 2016-2017 before cutting him prior to the 2016 World Juniors, but he was valuable to the team's effort a year ago as they tried to shut down the Americans in the quarterfinals. He was a Swiss star at the 2016 Under-18's despite being underaged, but after a good sophomore season with EV Zug, he's made an effort with his quick speed to become a useful asset for the team.

Oshawa Generals d-man Nico Gross will be entering his second World Junior tournament, a big feat considering he doesn’t even turn 18 until January. Gross hasn't been great on Oshawa's second defense pairing but he's improved as the season went on after fighting mononucleosis at the start of the campaign. This could be his opportunity to get his season going smoothly.

Another defender worth keeping an eye on is Simon Le Coultre, a member of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. Le Coultre has played for a poor Moncton Wildcats team over the past two years and has had to do a lot to help his team be competitive, but that’s always a good test for a young defender. He’ll face similar competition each night at the juniors, the biggest challenge of his career to date. If he still intends on getting drafted to the NHL, this is his best bet to be chosen late in June.

Forwards: With no Hischier up front, the club will need to replenish some of their big-time goals that made them a surprise contender late in the tournament. Philipp Kurashev will be one of the biggest stars, with the potential first-rounder off to a great second year with the Quebec Ramparts. With 31 points in 33 games, Kurashev is a great playmaker that played more of a scoring role at April's Under-18's, while also providing six goals and nine points in 14 U20 games last season. In Slovakia this summer at the U20 Summer Challenge, Kurashev helped his team win the gold medal after scoring twice against the hosts, a big game for the Swiss scoring star. The competition will be tougher at the juniors, but with the season he's having, Kurashev is Switzerland's best bet to win games this season.

One of Switzerland's most promising forwards is HC Davos winger Nando Eggenberger. Missing the Spengler Cup to play at the World Juniors is always an interesting situation, but Eggenberger has performed well enough internationally for the Swiss to earn his place. His 17 points in 18 U18 games last year was impressive enough, and he’s already played 15 U20 games over the past few years. He's typically been one of the younger players on any of the teams he's played at and if he does indeed become a second rounder in the NHL, he could be a star at next year's tournament, too.

Nicolas Müller is a guy that not many people are talking about, but the MODO U20 forward has been rather impressive in his first full season with the Swedish club. He was easily one of the Swiss' best players at the 2016 Hlinka Memorial and he played particularly well at the Under-18's last year. He's been a major contributor at every international level he's played at and there's a lot of reason to believe he can be a valuable player in Buffalo.

Kamloops Blazers forward Justin Sigrist has been a healthy scratch on various occasions in the WHL this year, so this can be the tournament that finally turns his season around. Justin's twin, Shannon, is a member of the Swiss women's national team, so there will be enough friendly competition to outdo each other in each of their major international competitions over the next few months. Justin has been good in four U20 games with the Swiss this year, but he'll look to really pull his game together on NHL sized ice after a great World Junior A Challenge tournament last year.

The Swiss will also expect a lot out of Marco Miranda and Valentin Nussbaumer. For Miranda, the team could make him a top line winger thanks to his deceptive speed, but his inconsistencies could hurt. And for Nussbaumer, the 2019 draft prospect will have to find his form after an injury if he wants to become a potent player down the middle.

To wrap it up, there will be a few eyes following the progress of 2018 draft prospect Gilian Kohler. Kohler hasn't produced that much offense in his first season in the WHL, but he recorded an incredible 42 assists and 50 points in 43 games as a 16-year-old in the Swiss U20 league last year. The same attention will be applied to Stéphane Patry, who hasn't been great in the OHL with the Erie Otters, but when you're chances are limited, that's the nature of the beast. Again, this is a great chance for the youngster to prove his worth.

Projection: The Swiss don’t have many offensive tools to work with, and the defense core will require to work by committee to offset a lack of experience. Overall, this isn’t a Swiss team to get excited for, and if a loss to the Danes in pre-tournament action is any indication, there’s a lot to be desired with the team that doesn’t excel in any category.

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