National ice hockey team not required: Stängeli to fulfill Swiss duty

It's a first for the Swiss national ice hockey team that the coach can rest players and give them a break during a World Cup group match. Denis Malgin and Sven Andrighetto, the ZSC Lions' congenial striker duo, were given a break on Sunday evening in their match against Hungary, as was defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. The three are to conserve their strength for the decisive tournament phase, which begins with the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Patrick Fischer's team has been confirmed as a quarterfinalist since last Friday's 3-0 win against Norway. The remaining two group matches, on Sunday evening against Hungary (10-0) and on Tuesday afternoon against Kazakhstan, will be all about placing and establishing a starting position for the quarterfinals. One thing is already clear: Should Fischer's team fail there, this tournament will end in disappointment, despite their strong performances in the first half.

Fischer's team flew to Denmark almost two weeks ago to move on to Sweden, where they will compete for medals next weekend, just like they did a year ago in Prague. However, Switzerland's ambitions were dampened on Friday when it was announced that the tournament was over for team captain Nico Hischier . The 2017 number one draft pick of the New Jersey Devils was eliminated in the opening period of the game against Germany with a leg injury. The World Cup is over for him.

Coach Patrick Fischer said on Friday after the match against Norway that his absence was a blow to the team. "A player like Nico can't be replaced easily. He's an incredibly important part of our team, on and off the ice. Fortunately, he'll stay with the team until the end and will support us in this way. But that means that everyone has to take on a little more responsibility and contribute."

Patrick Fischer and his director Lars Weibel are therefore once again turning their attention to North America. There, another Swiss player, Nino Niederreiter, was eliminated from the Stanley Cup last night. He and his Winnipeg Jets lost to the Dallas Stars. He played for Switzerland whenever possible. Even now, Fischer has left a spot open on his team for the powerful winger. Negotiations for his release are currently underway.

Niederreiter could join the team in time for the knockout phase. Although Fischer's team's performances so far have been impressive, he would further enhance the squad. The Chur native was already a key player in the silver medal wins in 2013, 2018, and a year ago in Prague. Even without Hischier, Switzerland won its matches against Germany (5-1), Norway (3-0), and Hungary without any major difficulties. But the challenges are now becoming increasingly challenging.

The matches against Hungary, in particular, were not a benchmark for the continuation of the tournament. The newly promoted team is one of those teams that essentially has no place at a senior World Championship and is not a serious benchmark for the Swiss. Swiss Ice Hockey doesn't even keep a so-called head-to-head record, a statistic of direct encounters against the Hungarians. The last games between the two took place decades ago, during the glacial period of international ice hockey, and not in the senior group.

Despite the ten goals, the Swiss put on a decidedly uninspired performance at times, which wasn't surprising given their inferior opponents. Nevertheless, they weren't dangerous. It took until deep into the third period before Leonardo Genoni posed any kind of threat to the goal. The Zug goalie has probably rarely managed a shutout like the one on Sunday. He stopped just six shots in the entire match.

Ambühl told Swiss television cameras during the first intermission: "It was clear to all of us that we all had to step on the gas a bit more and enter the match with concentration. It's no use just playing well." The 41-year-old team senior is competing in his 20th senior World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, making him the record-breaking international player. He has played more World Championship matches than the entire Hungarian team combined.

Hungary is an exotic country in international ice hockey. As newly promoted teams, the Hungarians are competing in Denmark for the fourth time this millennium at the A World Championship. Thanks to their 4-2 victory over Kazakhstan, the chances of Hungary achieving their goal and staying in the league are quite good. Their team doesn't have any NHL players, but they do have Tamas Ortenszky, a player who usually plays for EHC Winterthur in the Swiss League. Ortenszky has lived in Switzerland since 2017. With three assists, the defenseman is his team's second-leading scorer.

After all, the Hungarians also have the youngest player in the tournament, making them the counterpart to Andres Ambühl. Doman Szongoth will only celebrate his 17th birthday on June 8th and is therefore being watched by international scouts. He has been playing for KooKoo Kouvola in Finland since he was 15 and is already considered a high NHL draft pick. The Senior World Championship is his third international tournament this season. He has also competed in the U20 and U18 World Championships.

What's the record after this sixth group match in Herning? Andres Ambühl scored a hat trick. For the third time after the two 3-0 victories against the Czech Republic and Norway, the Swiss kept a clean sheet. And games like yesterday's really have no place at a World Cup. The standard can only improve from now on.