Since its promotion in 2021, HC Ajoie has finished last in the top division three times. The team from Jura escaped relegation thanks to victories in the league qualifiers against cantonal rivals and Swiss League champions La Chaux-de-Fonds.

With the same place, head coach Christian Wohlwend (47), who was sacked in Davos on January 11, 2023, would hardly survive his second season in the Jura. What sporting director Julien Vauclair is demanding is at least a clear improvement on last year’s points total (39).

The Ajoulots are currently bottom of the table after four games without points. However, Ajoie have shown that they can still achieve this with victories against Geneva, Lugano and Rapperswil. The line-up in the foreigner positions shows that this must succeed. Oula Palve (32) from Ilves Tampere and Jerry Turkulainen (25) from Jyväskylä ranked first and second in the Finnish scorer list in the 2023-24 regular season. And the third member of the Finnish squad, Julius Nättinen, was also in the top 30 with 25 goals and 22 assists for IFK Helsinki. In the 2020/21 season, he thrilled the fans in Ambrì (32 games/25 points). The American defenseman T.J. Brennan and the Canadian forwards Jonathan Hazen and Philip-Michaël Devos, who are part of HC Ajoie’s roster, have remained.

Even after the departures of Jesse Zgraggen, Ueli Huber and Fabio Arnold, five players with a Zug past ensure the necessary breadth in the team: defensemen Arno Nussbaumer, Jannik Fischer, Marco Maurer and Thomas Thiry as well as Louis Robin in the forward line.

In goal, long-time Ambri keeper Benjamin Conz (33) wants to make up for Tim Wolf’s move to the EVZ. His rival for first place between the posts is Damiano Ciaccio (35).