In addition to the men’s and women’s senior national teams, the Swiss junior national teams will also be in action in the upcoming IIHF Break from February 5 to 11, 2024.
We provide you with an overview of the squads and match schedules of the individual junior national teams.
Various young players from Zug are on the road with their national teams at the beginning of February.
U19 JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM: 5-NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN KLOTEN
After the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships, which took place in Sweden at the turn of the year, the first team meeting after the World Championships is traditionally used as the starting signal for the next World Championship campaign and is contested with a younger, broader selection than the U19s. With the exception of goalkeeper Elijah Neuenschwander (born in 2006), all players were born in 2005 and will form the core of the U20 national team for the upcoming 2024/2025 season. Head coach Marcel Jenni’s team will face the Czech Republic (6.2.2024, 18:30), Sweden (7.2.2024, 18:30), Finland (9.2.2024, 17:30) and Germany (10.2.2024, 16:30) in the stimo arena in Kloten. The EVZ will be joined by Nic Balestra, who has already played his first games in the National League this season and is the most productive defenseman in Zug’s U20 elite with 20 points from 38 games. Colin Lindemann also has a Zug background: The son of U17-Elit Head Coach Sven Lindemann comes from the EVZ youth program. Admission to all games in Kloten is free. The games will also be streamed live via RED.
The roster in detail
Goalies (2): Elijah Neuenschwander (Fribourg-Gottéron), Diego Simeoni (EHC Biel-Bienne)
Defensemen (7): Nic Balestra (EV Zug), Timo Bünzli (GCK/ZSC Lions), Aris Häfliger (HC Ambri Piotta), Yanik Lichtensteiger (HC Davos), Noam Micheletti (EHC Biel-Bienne), Nils Rhyn (SC Bern), Eric Schneller (Rögle BK / SWE)
Forwards (13): Jan Dorthe (Västerås IK / SWE), Janis Embacher (SCRJ Lakers), Alain Graf (SC Bern), Rico Gredig (HC Davos), Kimo Gruber (GCK/ZSC Lions), Noam Holzer (Fribourg-Gottéron), Andro Kaderli (Leksands IF / SWE), Guillaume Kaser (EHC Biel-Bienne), Colin Lindemann (Leksands IF / SWE), Endo Meier (GCK/ZSC Lions), Levin Moser (SC Bern), Gioele Pedrazzini (HC Lugano), Matteo Wagner (AIK / SWE)
U18 JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM: 5-NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN PLYMOUTH (USA)
With a view to the World Championships in Finland in April, the U18s will play the 5-nation tournament overseas for the first time. With games against the USA (6.2.2024, 19:00), Sweden (8.2.2024, 15:30), Finland (9.2.2024, 15:30) and the Czech Republic (10.2.2024, 15:30), Head Coach Patrick Schöb’s team will face top-class opponents. The squad for the games in the USA includes five EVZ juniors: Christian Kirsch, Mischa Geisser, Leon Muggli, Robin Antenen, Nils Wehrli and Loris Wey. Kirsch (officially in the NL squad), Antenen and Wey have already had a taste of the National League. Leon Muggli has a fix spot in the roster of the Men’s Team. All games will be played at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The start times are local time (GMT-5).
The roster in detail
Goalies (2): Christian Kirsch (EV Zug), Phileas Lachat (EHC Biel-Bienne)
Defensemen (7): Niklas Blessing (EHC Biel-Bienne), Mischa Geisser (EV Zug), Alessio Guignard (Fribourg-Gottéron), Joel Kurt (EHC Biel-Bienne), Gian Meier (GCK/ZSC Lions), Leon Muggli (EV Zug), Basile Sansonnens (Fribourg-Gottéron), Daniil Ustinkov (GCK/ZSC Lions)
Forwards (13): Robin Antenen (EV Zug), Nathan Borradori (HC Ambri-Piotta), David Bosson (GCK/ZSC Lions), Nolan Cattin (EHC Biel-Bienne), Leonardo Domenichelli (HC Lugano), Lenny Giger (Rögle BK / SWE), Joel Grossniklaus (SCL Tigers), Paul Mottard (EHC Biel-Bienne), Jamiro Reber (HV71 / SWE), Noé Tarchini (EHC Biel-Bienne), Janis Weber (IF Sundsvall / SWE), Nils Wehrli (EV Zug), Loris Wey (EV Zug)
U17 JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM: 5-NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN OSTRAVA (CZE)
U17 Head Coach – and former U20 Elite Head Coach at EVZ – Fabio Schumacher has called up 24 players for the 5-nation tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic, which is also one of the venues for the A World Championship in May. Over the course of four days (7.2. to 10.2.2024), the Swiss junior national team players will play against the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and the USA in turn. With Matia Birchler, Dorian Moret and Lucien Lehmann, Schumacher is taking three Zug players with him to the Czech Republic. All games can be followed via the RED livestream.
The roster in detail
Goalies (2): Matia Birchler (EV Zug), Cedric Gerber (EHC Kloten)
Defensemen (9): Mike Cuesta (EHC Kloten), Gaël Haas (Lausanne HC), Nik Lehmann (SCL Tigers), Dorian Moret (EV Zug), Elia Pedrotti (HC Lugano), Filippo Schmidt (GCK/ZSC Lions), Jon Andri Schmutz (SC Bern), Guus Van der Kaaij (HC Davos), Théo Vouardoux (Genève-Servette HC)
Forwards (13): Mike Aeschlimann (SCL Tigers), Gian-Andrea Badrutt (EHC Kloten), Arthur Dandois (Fribourg-Gottéron), Flavien Etter (Fribourg-Gottéron), Moritz Hasler (SCL Tigers), Jan Kneubühler (SC Bern), Lucien Lehmann (EV Zug), Jeremiah Mundy (SCRJ Lakers), Lauro Peter (GCK/ZSC Lions), Florian Schenk (SC Bern), Lars Steiner (HC Davos), Manuel Von Rohr (EHC Biel-Bienne), Daniele Wagner (AIK /SWE)
U16 JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM: 3-NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN ROMANSHORN
Just like the U19s, the U16s are also playing a home tournament. Switzerland is fielding two teams (Red and White) to compensate for the absence of the Belarusian selection and to strengthen the basis for other age groups. On February 9 and 10, the two Swiss teams will play once each against the Latvian and Slovakian national teams before facing each other on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 14:30. Daniele Guzzi and Dennis van Gessel in Team Red and Jan Daron and Yanis Lutz in Team White will represent the EVZ at the home tournament. Admission to the 3-nation tournament in Romanshorn is free, and the games will also be streamed via RED.
The roster in detail
Team Rot
Goalies (2): Yannis Zambelli (HC Lugano), Dominic Ziegler (SC Bern)
Defensemen (8): Niccolò Castiglioni (HC Lugano), Colin Favre (Fribourg-Gottéron), Yanis Frolik (EHC Kloten), Daniele Guzzi (EV Zug), Loïc Mukuna (Genève-Servette HC), Vito Thoma (EHC Kloten), Dennis van Gessel (EV Zug), Lorin Wittwer (SCL Tigers)
Forwards (12): Raphaël Achermann (Fribourg-Gottéron), Nicola Dario Bosshard (EHC Kloten), Fabrice Bouvard (EHC Kloten), Liam Dubé (Fribourg-Gottéron), Janis Grossniklaus (SC Bern), Kei Imboden (HC Lugano), Sven Kriesi (SC Bern), Tomasz Marsden (EHC Biel-Bienne), Nolan Rohrbach (GCK/ZSC Lions), Maxime Sauthier (Genève-Servette HC), Clemens Troxler (GCK/ZSC Lions), Max Ulrich (GCK/ZSC Lions)
Team Weiss
Goalies (2): Nolan Haas (Lausanne HC), Nico Keller (GCK/ZSC Lions)
Defensemen (8): Timo Affolter (SC Bern), Joshua Brander (HC Davos), Laurin Fuhrer (SCRJ Lakers), Kimi Grossniklaus (EHC Biel-Bienne), Lennox Hirt (GCK/ZSC Lions), Elia Liniger (EHC Kloten), Roméo Pralong (Fribourg-Gottéron), Serge Wüthrich (SCL Tigers)
Forwards (12): Thierry Berger (SC Bern), Ryan Bizzozero (HC Lugano), Clément Bonito (Genève-Servette HC), Yoncel Cabré (EHC Biel-Bienne), Jan Daron (EV Zug), Sol Fueter (GCK/ZSC Lions), Yanis Lutz (EV Zug), Nevio Reist (SCL Tigers), Nino Schoch (HC Davos), Pascal Schürmann (EHC Kloten), Kimi Sutter (GCK/ZSC Lions), Mattis Zambaz (Lausanne HC)
