Every talented Swiss ice hockey player who tries his luck across the Atlantic at a young age knows that nobody in North America is waiting for a Swiss player. This is no different in the case of Yanis Lutz. However, he made headlines for the first time even before his debut in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL): at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August, Lutz scored the only Swiss goal against Canada in his U18 national team kit. He also impressed in other respects with four points in four games.

A good six months later, Yanis Lutz is the best rookie on the Peterborough Petes team and the second-best import rookie born in 2008 in the entire OHL. He has scored 13 goals and 23 assists in 59 games and is in the playoffs with the Petes. Remarkable: Lutz takes on responsibility as a lowliner and playmaker in the power play. That wasn’t the case at the start of the season. As a fourth-line player with short stints, he first worked his way up to the third line, then to the second line and finally to the first line as a centre.

Yanis Lutz on his highs: “There are many factors at play. I had a great summer in Zug and felt really ready at the start of the season. I also gained a lot of confidence at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Then the team here in Peterborough took to me very well very quickly.” Lutz has quickly built up a prosperous environment in Canada: “The host family is super nice. I also enjoy a lot of trust from the coaching team led by Rob Wilson. I did feel a bit homesick from time to time, but I was all the more happy about every visit from family and friends.” (see picture).

I benefited the most from the OYM

Yanis Lutz on his steep career rise

Yanis Lutz laid the foundations for his North American adventure at the OYM. In August 2023, as a 15-year-old, he started the four-year training programme at the EVZ “The Hockey Academy”. Thanks to two strong years in the EVZ junior programme, he made the leap to the OHL in the summer of 2025. Yanis Lutz is convinced of this path: “In terms of hockey, I learnt a lot at the Academy – skating, technique, understanding the game. But I benefited most from the professional environment at the OYM.” He was given the best advice on nutrition and off-ice training. And: “I learnt to be independent early on. That helps me enormously here.”

Yannis Lutz also cites his first goal in front of a home crowd as a highlight of his time in Peterborough. “The fans here are an experience. The atmosphere in the stands can turn a game on its head.” Yanis Lutz went viral on social media with an assist in which he fakes a shot, but uses a laser pass to serve an even better-positioned team-mate, who only has to slot it in. This scene epitomises the high hockey IQ that he is credited with in the scene.

What’s next for Yanis Lutz’s career? The playoffs in the OHL are just around the corner from 26 March, where Lutz’s services will be in demand again, especially in the power play. “After that, I’ll be back in Switzerland for summer training, where I’ll work specifically on strength and stability. I’m really looking forward to the EVZ environment and the OYM!” says the 17-year-old. He will probably play in the OHL with Peterborough again next season, says Lutz on the phone.

Even if nobody in North America is waiting for a Swiss player – sometimes things move fast in ice hockey. It will be worth following the up-and-coming career of Zug’s next “The Hockey Academy” export in the coming weeks and months.

Peterborough Petes? There was something! Lino Martschini – the EVZ legend par excellence – tried his hand in the OHL with the Petes between 2010 and 2012 and scored a whopping 114 points in two seasons and 124 games. The following season, he received his first professional contract with EVZ and hit the ground running with 44 points, 14 of which came in the playoffs.