The 89th IIHF World Championship begins on 15 May in Zurich and Fribourg. It will be a special tournament for Switzerland, as this marks the first time since 2009 that the World Championship is being held on home soil. What’s more, following two silver medals in 2024 and 2025, national coach Jan Cadieux’s team can count on having a chance of winning a medal again this year.
The final World Championship squad will not be announced until just before the tournament begins. This is because the NHL season is still underway and the National League playoff final has yet to be played. Nevertheless, preparations for the World Championship are in full swing among the participating nations. Several EVZ players are also involved.
SWITZERLAND
No fewer than five players from Zug are currently taking part in the first weeks of World Championship preparations with the Swiss national team. Leonardo Genoni, Tobias Geisser, Gregory Hofmann, Sven Senteler, and Fabrice Herzog have been at the national team camp for two weeks and have played four exhibition games.
April 16: Slovakia – Switzerland 3–1 (Genoni in goal; Geisser, Hofmann, Herzog, and Senteler on the roster)
April 17: Slovakia – Switzerland 3–5 (Herzog with two goals; Geisser, Hofmann, and Senteler also on the roster)
April 23: Switzerland – Hungary 6–1 (Herzog and Senteler each with one goal; Geisser and Hofmann also on the roster)
April 24: Switzerland – Hungary 6–1 (Herzog, Senteler, and Hofmann on the roster)
This week, Switzerland continues with its third week of World Championship preparations. The national team will face Sweden in Jönköping on Thursday as part of the Fortuna Hockey Games, before taking on Finland and the Czech Republic in Prague on Saturday and Sunday. The five players from Zug remain part of the Swiss roster.
