At the end of February, Dorian Moret was called up for the National League game in Kloten. Although the 17-year-old didn’t get a shift on the ice, it was still an unforgettable experience for him. “At 12:30 p.m., I found out that I would be part of the team that evening — it was very unexpected,” he recalls. “To skate out in front of so many fans and soak in the atmosphere was an amazing experience. I learned a lot and hope I’ll have that opportunity again soon.”
Three EVZ players have been selected for the U18 World Championship in the USA, including defenseman Dorian Moret. The 17-year-old from Lausanne has had a unique journey.
In order to earn more National League appearances, he doesn’t want to rely on luck, but rather on his skills and perseverance—something he’s been proving for quite some time. In the summer of 2022, Dorian Moret transferred from the U17-Elite team of Lausanne HC to EVZ—as a 15-year-old who didn’t speak any German. His host family in Knonau, where he still lives in a separate apartment, helped him integrate. The same goes for a German course that the organization arranged for him. For the past two years, Dorian Moret has been part of the unique development program The Hockey Academy and is working toward his high school diploma (Matura) at the OYM College. “In class, I still notice that German isn’t my native language,” says Dorian Moret. “So I have to invest more to make sure my performance is where it needs to be.”
Learning a new language was one of the reasons why the defenseman and his agent began looking for a new club. “I just wanted to leave western Switzerland in general to gain new experiences,” Dorian explains. EVZ convinced him with its training and development opportunities—and he convinced EVZ with his performance during the tryout. His journey also makes his mother proud, with whom he lived in Lausanne. “She encouraged me to take up sports to learn discipline. I stood on skates for the first time at two years old, and started playing hockey at five,” he recalls. She comes to his games whenever possible. “She supports me wherever she can and has played a huge role in my success,” he says. In his limited free time, Dorian Moret enjoys gaming—and perfume. “That topic really captivated me,” he says. “I’ve been diving deeper into it and trying out different scents. One day, I want to create my own.” His teammates on the Zug U20-Elite team are well aware of his unique passion—or rather, they can smell it.
Soon, a wider circle will find out — his teammates on the U18 national team. At the World Championship, Dorian Moret and Team Switzerland will face Sweden (April 23, 9:00 p.m. CEST), the USA (April 25, 2:00 a.m.), Czechia (April 26, 9:00 p.m.), and Germany (April 27, 7:00 p.m.). In preparation, they will play against Finland (April 16, 11:30 p.m.) and Slovakia (April 21, 8:00 p.m.). Alongside Dorian Moret, two other EVZ talents have also been called up: goaltender Matia Birchler and forward Lucien Lehmann.
