By Raphael Biermayr
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton ended with the Swiss U18 national team finishing in a respectable 5th place. The four players from Zug also made their mark: defenders Daniel Fuchs and Nicolas Hasler, and forwards Yanis Balada and Sam Neff. The latter scored two goals in four matches. The 17-year-old found the net in the 3–7 opening defeat against hosts Canada and in the spectacular 7–6 victory over Sweden. The other three EVZ players also got on the scoresheet. Nicolas Hasler (16) set up a goal against Canada, whilst Yanis Balada (17) and Daniel Fuchs (17) each recorded an assist in the victory over Sweden.
For Yanis Balada, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup was a “really cool and special event”. He had travelled to Canada with the aim of playing his best ice hockey and achieving as much as possible with the team. In the decisive group match, the Swiss lost 2–6 to Slovakia, thereby missing out on the semi-finals. Their response was impressive, with a 5–1 victory in the placement match against the Czech Republic. “Of course, it was a shame that we narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals, but we can still be satisfied with fifth place,” says Yanis Balada. For his future development, he says he’ll take away, above all, the high level of competition he experienced in Edmonton. “The intensity and standard were very high. It’s exactly this attitude and level of competition that we need at EVZ for the coming season.”
