Gameday 1 and 2
The 89th IIHF World Championship will take place in Zurich and Fribourg from 15 to 31 May. Two EVZ players will also be taking part. In this article, we’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening with the EVZ at the World Championship.
In Group B on Friday, Dominik Kubalík’s Czech team comfortably defeated Denmark 4–1. The highlight from an EVZ perspective? In the 9th minute, Kubalík slipped past the Danish defense and opened the scoring. In the end, the Czech Republic secured a 4-1 victory, with former Zug player Daniel Vozenilek also getting on the scoresheet.
In Group A, Switzerland kicked off the home World Championship in the best possible way. In their opening game against the USA, the Swiss took revenge on last year’s final opponent, the USA, and won 3-1. Once again, Switzerland’s rock-solid presence is Leonardo Genoni. The Zug goalkeeper—last year’s World Championship MVP—concedes only once and is the cornerstone of Switzerland’s success.
On Saturday, both the Czech Republic (in Fribourg) and Switzerland (in Zurich) will play the evening game again. Things aren’t going as planned for Dominik Kubalík; the Czechs suffer a surprise loss to Slovenia, and the EVZ player fails to score. Meanwhile, Switzerland wins again, with Sandro Aeschlimann in goal and Leonardo Genoni sitting out.
Gameday 3
After a day off on Sunday, the World Championship tournament continues for the Swiss and the Czechs on Monday. And both Leonardo Genoni and Dominík Kubalik enjoy a sense of accomplishment. Genoni celebrates a 6-1 rout of Germany with Switzerland in front of an electrifying crowd. The EVZ goalie, in his 50th (!) World Championship game, didn’t concede a goal until just before the end; he has now played 120 World Championship minutes and allowed only two goals.
Dominik Kubalík also has reason to celebrate. After a frustrating loss to Slovenia, the Czechs are back on track. And how: They defeated Sweden 4-3, with Kubalík getting a chance on the power play and scoring the go-ahead goal to make it 2-0 in the first period.
Overview: Genoni at WC
Playing at a home World Championship and having a real chance of winning gold – only very few professional ice hockey players can do that. EVZ goalie Leonardo Genoni is one of them. Together with Sandro Aeschlimann (HC Davos) and Reto Berra (Fribourg Gottéron), he forms the Swiss goalie trio for the 2026 World Championships. Genoni is a firm anchor in the Swiss team – the Zug native was even voted the tournament MVP when the team won silver a year ago and has now – after the quarter-final exit with the EVZ – also played the entire World Championship preparations.
Attilio Biasca is the second player with a strong EVZ connection in coach Jan Cadieux’s Swiss World Championship squad. Biasca comes from The Hockey Academy in Zug and subsequently established himself in the first team. Last summer, Biasca moved to Fribourg Gottéron, became Swiss champion – and is now being rewarded with his personal first World Championship call-up.
The Swiss match schedule (all games in Zurich):
Switzerland-USA 3:1 (2:0, 0:0, 1:1) – Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
Switzerland-Latvia 4:2 (0:0, 2:1, 2:1) – Genoni not playing
Switzerland-Germany 6:1 (0:0, 5:0, 1:1) Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
20 May, 4.20 pm: Switzerland-Austria
21 May, 20:20: Switzerland-Great Britain
23 May, 16:20: Switzerland-Hungary
26 May, 20.20: Switzerland-Finland
Overview: Kubalík at WC
Dominik Kubalík is the second current EVZ squad player to take part in this year’s World Championship. Kubalík won the club’s internal top scorer crown in his debut season with the EVZ. Like Genoni, he also completed his entire preparation with the Czechs. A Genoni-Kubalík duel would only be possible in the knockout phase; Kubalík and his Czechs will play their preliminary round games in Group B in Fribourg.
Daniel Vozenilek is another former Zug player on the Czech roster. Vozenilek spent the last two seasons with EVZ and will return to his native Czech Republic for the upcoming season.
The Czech Republic match schedule (all games in Fribourg):
Czech Republic-Denmark 4:1 (2:0, 0:0, 2:1) – Kubalík scores 1:0
Czech Republic-Slovenia 2:3. a.E. (0:1, 2:0, 0:1) – Kubalík without goal
Czech Republic-Sweden 4:3 (3:2, 1:1, 0:0) – Kubalík scores 2:0
20. May, 16:20: Czech Republic-Italy
23. May, 16.20: Czech Republic-Slovakia
25 May, 16.20: Czech Republic-Norway
26. May, 20.20: Czech Republic-Canada
