WC: 2023 Switzerland Roster Talk

[Jersey Fan 12]

(MOD - Please merge if there is already a post for the Swiss team. I couldn't find it).

Seems like much of the prospects for Switzerland hinges on the playoff run of the New Jersey Devils and whether the four players with New Jersey choose to play.

Was also wondering if Michigan State forward Nicolas Muller is being considered?

He was the Spartans' leading scorer but has yet to sign a pro contract.

 

[jonas2244]

Meier is RFA, so I guess he wouldn't be available anyway.
The same for Siegenthaler who can expect a solid raise I guess.
Hischier would, if healthy, join, same for Schmid.

Janis Moser should be available.
Roman Josi's Preds still fighting for a playoff-spot, he's currently injured.
Kurashev is RFA, he was so last year and he joined (also injured currntly)
Denis Malgin will play playoffs and is RFA, he latley got more ice-time and some more scoring, maybe another strong WC would help him getting another contract, if the Avalanche fail to progress.
Tim Berni is RFA but I can imagine he'd join
Pius Suter is UFA, he plays a mediocre season. I think he'll decline.
Fiala => Playoffs, I guess he'd come if he's out.
Nino => Playoffs, I guess he'd come if he's out.

Müller had some peparation games 4 years ago. I read somewhere that he'll return to Switzerland this year. With so many NHL-forwards not joining he's maybe an option.

 

[jonas2244]

Kurashev is done for the regular season, so he very probably won't play.

 

[Jon Riley]

According to Fisher, apparently everyone gave their availability for the WC except for Meier that is still unsure.
That's good, too bad almost everyone is heading to the playoffs and kurashev is injured.
Berni, Moser, Suter and at the moment Josi should be in the roster then, good for the defense

 

[Speyer]

According to Fisher, apparently everyone gave their availability for the WC except for Meier that is still unsure.
That's good, too bad almost everyone is heading to the playoffs and kurashev is injured

It will probably depend for him on who else is available. Normally I'd guess he would decline, as he has done in the past when he was a RFA. But Josi and Nino are not getting younger and the same goes for some of the better NLA players like Hofmann and Corvi. So if Switzerland could actually field a team with the potential for a gold run, Meier would probably not want to miss out on the opportunity. But its not like these verbal commitments hold that much value in general though. Last year Josi and Fiala gave one to Fischer too but ultimately didn't report. We just have to wait and see how everything turns out. There are to many factors at play here to make any sort of predictions yet.

 

[stv11]

Regarding Meier, this says that he will only come if he can sign a contract before the tournament:

La Nazionale potrà contare sulla disponibilità di tutti gli svizzeri in NHL, Meier l’unico dubbio – HeShootsHeScoores

Come spiegato dal coach Patrick Fischer in un’intervista al portale Watson, tutti i giocatori svizzeri impegnati in NHL saranno di principio a disposizione della Nazionale svizzera per il Mondiale di Riga e Tampere, questo naturalmente una volta che la loro stagione oltre oceano sarà terminata...

heshootshescoores.com

But I agree that these reports don't mean much, we read them pretty much every year and there are always some players who end up not coming.

I'll still cheer for whoever plays the Devils. I hope we get a chance to see Schmid, Genoni is not having his best season and the goalie situation is worrying.

 

[Speyer]

Regarding Meier, this says that he will only come if he can sign a contract before the tournament:

If thats the case I'd say its very unlikely that he reports. The trend in the last few years was that those kind of negotiations are taking longer and longer, sometimes even carrying over into the new season. Meiers agent will try to get every $ possible, while the Devils need to stay under the salary cap. This is not a Siegenthaler situation; Meier won't take a discount just to stay on the team.

 

[Hinterland]

If thats the case I'd say its very unlikely that he reports. The trend in the last few years was that those kind of negotiations are taking longer and longer, sometimes even carrying over into the new season. Meiers agent will try to get every $ possible, while the Devils need to stay under the salary cap. This is not a Siegenthaler situation; Meier won't take a discount just to stay on the team.

I think Meier would sign his qualifying offer which NJ has to send him until July 3rd. I don't think NJ wants him to sign his qualifying offer though because it would take Meier straight to Free Agency so this deal could be done anytime. Meier can delay this for as long as he wishes but it's in NJ's interest to get it done quickly. I also think that Meier wants to play and like I said I don't see why he shouldn't sign his qualifying offer and test the open market.

 

[stv11]

First training camp roster. Untersander announced his retirement.

Connor Hughes (Fribourg-Gottéron), Gilles Senn (HC Davos)

David Aebischer (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers), Lian Bichsel (Leksands IF / SWE), Dominik Egli (HC Davos), Michael Fora (HC Davos), Lukas Frick (Lausanne HC), Andrea Glauser (Lausanne HC), Romain Loeffel (SC Bern), Nathan Vouardoux (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers)

Andres Ambühl (HC Davos), Thierry Bader (SC Bern), Christoph Bertschy (Fribourg-Gottéron), Enzo Corvi (HC Davos), Joshua Fahrni (SC Bern), André Heim (HC Ambri-Piotta), Ken Jäger (Lausanne HC), Johnny Kneubühler (HC Ambri-Piotta), Dario Meyer (EHC Kloten), Tyler Moy (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers), Marco Müller (HC Lugano), Damien Riat (Lausanne HC), Sandro Schmid (Fribourg-Gottéron), Calvin Thürkauf (HC Lugano)

The most notable names missing are either recovering from injury (Berra) or absent for personal reasons (Mi. Müller, Scherwey). Aeschlimann will join next week.

Goalies are a bit underwhelming, but the alternatives are Nyffeler, Wühtrich and Schlegel. Defense looks good, Alatalo is the big name missing but he had a poor season. I would have liked to see Sidler but he'll get a chance soon enough.

At forward Meyer is a bit of a surprise. Mottet is the biggest name missing, and I would have liked to see Knak.

 

[jonas2244]

Defense looks already pretty solid with more options from Zug, ZSC and Servette (Le Coultre, Karrer, Kukan, Geisser, Marti, Geering) and from overseas (Moser, Berni, Josi). I fully expect Bichsel to make the team.

Offence looks much more worrying. We could end up with no NHL-player there.

Genoni found his play at the right time, if Aeschlimann is ready too that's solid. Maybe even let Van Pottelberghe get the third spot.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Inti Pestoni, Yannick Lennart Albrecht and Dario Burgler had great seasons, no chance for them?

 

[jonas2244]

As they're already out and got no invitation, no they are not an option.

 

[Lartsaman]

Sandro Aeschlimann out and his backup Senn in? That was surprising. Did he decline?

 

[jonas2244]

Aeschlimann is battling some minor injury and will get another week or two off. It is planned that he'll join later on.

 

[Finnswiss]

I am curious who of the Swiss NHL player will be available for Fischer. I hope my dream final game Switzerland - Finland will finally come true.
But the Swiss have to overcome their quarterfinal trauma. In the past years they played a very good preliminary round but when it counts in the quarterfinal they couldn't any more show the performance of the preliminary round. Especially last year they won all games of the preliminary round but in quarterfinal against the USA they delivered the worst performance of the tournament and lost clearly.

 

[jonas2244]

The reason Simon Knak is not here: He signed a try-out with the Milwaukee Admirals and is joining them for the last games of the regular season and playoffs.

 

[stv11]

That's a shame, he wouldn't have looked out of place in this team.

 

[jonas2244]

I guess at the moment only Moser is safe to join.

Berni is RFA, Josi is injured, Kurashev is injured, Suter is UFA, the rest plays playoffs.

 

[Speyer]

I guess at the moment only Moser is safe to join.

Berni is RFA, Josi is injured, Kurashev is injured, Suter is UFA, the rest plays playoffs.

Has it been communicated what the issue is with Josi? All I read was that he is out "day to day" with an "upper body injury" since about a month. But its not like we can complain much with our situation. We where close to full strength in some of the last few tournaments so not having so much luck was bound to happen at some point.

 

[jonas2244]

Upper-body could be shoulder or something which normally takes some time to heal.
But know, I didn't read anything specific. No injury reserve means they hoped to have him ready for the final games. So now without any chance for playoffs there was probably no reason to rush him tonight.

It's about time to see him again in the national jersey.

 

[stv11]

Any opinion on the first two games? Apart from the lack of finishing I liked what I saw. Good puck control in the offensive zone that led to many chances, the special teams were fine and defensive play was solid. But seeing Slovakia vastly overperform their expected goals doesn't make me feel better about goaltending.

Individually I liked Fora, Egli and the Thürkauf-Bertschy-Heim line. Bichsel was really good, he just needs to get some experience with the pace of international hockey but that should come pretty quickly.

Not sure who will be cut. I guess Vouardoux is the most likely on defense, and Kneubühler, Schmid and Fahrni at forward, but no one was particularly bad. Müller is probably out injured.

Now I hope to see Geisser, Kukan, Marti, Hofmann, Simion, Herzog, Martschini, Andrighetto and most importantly Genoni join.

 

[jonas2244]

Fischer said semi-finalists will get another week and there will be only minor changes for next week.

 

[jonas2244]

No-one has to leave, Sandro Aeschlimann and Christian Marti join the team on Tuesday.

 

[stv11]

Really good news regarding Müller, I expected it to be pretty serious.

But I wish they would give some updates regarding NHL players.

 

[jonas2244]

Josi had a concussion. That's not good news.

Wasn't in training, so I guess one month is not enough to get ready for the WC.