Eight players born in 2005 and 2006 received a total of almost 1700 minutes of ice time in the EVZ National League team. No other organization can boast comparable figures. This put The Hockey Academy (THA) concept to the test. Because when an U20 elite junior plays in the NL team, a U17 junior takes his place – whose place is in turn taken by a U15 player. “One of our guiding principles is to bring young athletes to the top. We succeeded in doing that very well in the 2024/25 season. The THA concept has proven its worth,” says General Manager Reto Kläy, looking back on the past few months with satisfaction. “The shifts in the entire chain worked. It’s not just about looking at the bare results, but in particular the development of the players.” Reto Kläy also refers to the professional contracts of defenders Nic Balestra and Mischa Geisser as well as forwards Robin Antenen and Loris Wey. They are definitely moving up from the U20 Elite team to the NL squad.
More juniors than ever before played at NL level. This resulted in shifts in the teams at U level. GM Reto Kläy is delighted with the overall picture.
The four would have liked to have celebrated the Swiss championship title again last year at the oldest junior level. But they failed to defend their title. The U20 Elite team was eliminated in the semi-final series against the GCK Lions with a score of 0:3, although it did win the Bronze Medal Game against HC Davos (5:0). “Against the GCK Lions, it was clear that the many player changes had an impact on the quality of the team. Nevertheless, they played at eye level in matches two and three,” says the EVZ GM. He assumes that one or two players will be drafted. Last year was the first time in the history of the organization that two players were drafted in the same year: Leon Muggli and Christian Kirsch.
As a result of the structural adjustment in the junior sector at association level, there will now be U21 teams instead of U20 teams and U18 teams instead of U17 teams. Reto Suri will take over as head coach of the U21-Elit team, while Sven Lindemann will continue to be in charge one level below. In the past season, the U17-Elit team he led qualified for the playoffs with aplomb and was eliminated in the quarter-finals against the ZSC Lions. Ted Suihkonen, Head of Development, will remain part of the THA staff, as will goalie coach Marco Mathis. According to Reto Kläy, the team is still looking for a successor to Reto Suri as Player Development Coach and Scout.
