International TournamentsDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
I have been really impressed with the Swiss team in this WJC playing even with four major hockey powers (Sweden, Finland, Czech, Russia). I believe that this is not a fluke year, since they have started to produce quality prospects (Niederreiter, Bärtschi, Josi, Sbisa etc) the last couple of years, but the beginning of them finally establishing themselves as a top country.
I think 2014 is too early, but by 2018 do you think they will have a good enough team to medal at a best-on-best tournament?
In 2018 their top prospects will be at or around their peak: Josi (28), Sbisa (28), Niederreiter (26), Bärtschi (26), Andrighetto (25), Bertschy (24), Richard (25)
Some of their current NT mainstays will also still be around: Blindenbacher (35), Diaz (32), Weber (30), Sprunger (32), Wick (33), Brunner (32)
I do think the Swiss could battle to get into that 6th spot though with continued development.
I don't think there's any particular order inside the elite given how any of them can win almost any tournament. Doubt any of them are going to be dropping out either.
But the Swiss might be well on their way to expand the current elite by one. Though this is something that's been said for the last 15 years... they've been somewhere there, at the step, for all that time, not quite breaking it... yet.
But the Swiss might be well on their way to expand the current elite by one. Though this is something that's been said for the last 15 years... they've been somewhere there, at the step, for all that time, not quite breaking it... yet.
I think what has been missing for them has been truly elite players. They have had teams full of players of high European class, but lacking those truly star players. If Niederreiter, Bärtschi, and perhaps someone more develop into NHL stars, perhaps they can reach the level of Slovakia ca 2006
Switzerland was one game out of a Gold or Bronze medal game in the last two Olympics games. In 2006 they were very impressive before their loss to Sweden (finished 2-2-2) and then last time, they weren't as impressive, but they only lost 2-0 to USA in the QFs.
Every one of the Top-8 teams are medal contenders as far as I'm concerned.
Switzerland was one game out of a Gold or Bronze medal game in the last two Olympics games. In 2006 they were very impressive before their loss to Sweden (finished 2-2-2) and then last time, they weren't as impressive, but they only lost 2-0 to USA in the QFs.
Every one of the Top-8 teams are medal contenders as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah, just some of them have a better chance than others.
A lot would need to go right in order for Switzerland to medal. They play a strong, strong team game and could give any country a run for their money on any night, but it won`t be easy to medal with some of the elite teams in the picture.
Will they be a team that could get some points from every other team in the tourney? Absolutely.
Could they upset some of the better teams on paper in QF and get into the medal rounds with the right circumstances? Possibly yes.
Can they however be considered just as a strong candidate for a top 4 finish as the other top teams? Deifnitely not. They just lack the depth in elite level talent, especially offensively. They not only behind the top 4 in this aspect, but also the Finns and the Czechs (even in their bad days). Yeah, yeah, right I know they have Niederreiter and Bärtschi, but a) those two are still much more an exception rather than a rule and nothing seems to point out that Switzerland is about to start producing elite offensive talent on an at least somewhat REGULAR basis and b) even their not surefire elite players as of yet.
As has been already pointed out Switzerland has been improving for a long time now, yet their overall results have been pretty much the same for all this time that they have been improving and they have not managed to cross the line that seperates them from elite at any given point of time.
There are several contestants, but only three real contenders for the gold.
That is Russia, Canada and Sweden.
So Switzerland is, in my view, already a contestant for the gold. (by virtue of playing this tournament ... relegation removes you the contestant status.)
Contender for a bronze medal ?? i seriously believe YES. We were unlucky in the past years. Had we had luck, we would be holder of at least 1 bronze medal so far.
The Swiss beat Canada in 2006 and took Canada to a shootout before losing in 2010. I don't think either of those games were flukes. The Swiss are only getting better and I do think they can contend for a medal in 2018. Doesn't mean they will win but they will definitely make the road to a medal harder than it was before for the regular Olympic contenders.
Any of the top ten teams can fluke out a medal by having a hot goalie or a couple of good bounces.
I doubt it, I'm in the camp that believes the Swiss now round out a Top-8 that have a remote chance in hell to medal. Anything past CAN/USA/RUS/SWE/FIN/CZE/SVK/SUI realistically have no medaling shot in an Olympic tournament in the next ten years; Belarus was the only nation that has come close in 2002 but they got massacred by Canada. You can fluke your way pretty close but eventually you will come across one of the top four nations, where outside of the top-8 in a best on best tournament the probabilities are too low for the likes of Latvia, Germany, Norway, Belarus, Denmark, Austria etc to go past them into the podium. Then again, as they say in stocks past performance does not necessarily indicate the future.
What will the 2014 SUI team look like? Presumably on the NHL side they'll use their five defenders (Streit/Sbisa/Weber/Josi/Diaz) with Hiller in net and Nino / Bartschi on forward positions. Does any other prospect have a shot at joining?
