2025 World Juniors Preview: Can Team Switzerland play spoiler?
Swiss hockey fans never expect too much when it comes to the World Junior Championship.
They’ve qualified for the medal round twice in the 2000s, most recently with a fourth-place finish back in 2019. Beyond that, they’re typically good for seventh or eighth in the final standings, often losing to the first or second seed from the opposite group come quarterfinal play.
This year won’t be any different. This group is lacking a high-end goaltender or any NHL-drafted help up front. If they can shut teams down, maybe they can play spoiler along the way. That’s the ultimate goal – and they might have a legitimate chance to do that in an average-at-best Group B situation this year.
Let’s break things down:
Looking Back to 2024
Switzerland didn’t have much hope last year, starting the tournament with a disappointing 3-0 loss to Slovakia. They then got crushed 11-3 against the United States in a game that was never particularly close, meaning the Dec. 30 battle against Norway was essentially their championship game. It started off on the wrong foot, with Norway taking a 2-1 lead early in the game, but Switzerland eventually took over to win 6-2.
That helped Switzerland make it to the quarterfinal against a top-flight Swedish team. It almost went their way, actually – after trailing 2-0 in the first, Switzerland scored a goal apiece in the next two periods to force overtime. The Swedes ultimately won the game, but it was a much better result than anyone could have expected from Switzerland, given how their tournament went leading up to that.
Goaltenders
Switzerland is bringing back Ewan Huet – the son of Stanley Cup champion Cristobal Huet – for a second go-around. The WHLer has had a rough season with Regina, where he serves as Kelton Pyne’s backup. With just one win prior to being named to being named to the WJC roster, Huet has struggled to snag consistent starts, which won’t help his cause.
Christian Kirsch, meanwhile, hasn’t won many games in North America either, but he has been a bright spot on the Janesville Jets this year. He is arguably one of the top goaltenders in the NAHL, which isn’t high up on the junior hockey ladder, but can still be beneficial for goaltenders. Selected 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks last year, Kirsch can be a bit hot or cold at times but does have plenty of national team experience over the past four years. And at 6-foot-4, he has a clear size advantage over the six-foot Huet, too.
Elijah Neuenschwander is receiving some love from the NHL scouts this year. The 6-foot-4 goaltender was one of Switzerland’s backups at the U-18s last year but could challenge for the starting gig at this tournament next year. For now, it’s good to see him having some success back home, but he’s still projected to be the No. 3 this year.
Defensemen
This might be Switzerland’s real strength—and if you’ve seen them play at any level, ever, that seems to be the case for the nation. The big draw is Leon Muggli, the Washington Capitals prospect who typically shows well for his country. He was one of Switzerland’s best defenders as an underaged prospect last year, and that shouldn’t change this time around. Muggli has played the entire season with EV Zug, where he has shown a good mix of puck skills and physicality. The two-way defender has another year of eligibility after this, too.
After starting the year with Zug’s U-20 team – where he proved to be absolutely dominant as a playmaker – Ludvig Johnson has spent the past month playing in the NL and looking good while doing so. He’s no particularly big or strong, but Johnson is a solid skater who moves the puck well and isn’t afraid to unleash his shot. This tournament could open a lot of scout’s eyes after watching him go undrafted last year because there are some elements to his game that have translated well to the pro game early on in his career.
Eric Schneller is a 19-year-old defenseman who has represented Switzerland plenty of times already at different levels. Like Johnson, Schneller isn’t big, but he’s solid defensively and blocks a ton of shots. His footwork will make him an interesting addition on a pairing with a better puck-moving defender like Muggli, Johnson or even Daniil Ustinkov. Ustinkov was once seen as a potential first-round pick last year, but his lack of improvement defensively prevented him from getting drafted altogether. Ustinkov is a returning player who can control the power play, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s utilized after a rough draft year.
Two of my favorite defenders from the Swiss U-18 team last year will make their World Juniors debut in Ottawa. Gian Meier scored three goals in the round-robin to help get the Swiss where they ended up. He’s so strong defensively, and it felt like he always put in a strong effort. Compared to Meier, Vancouver Canucks draft pick Basile Sansonnens was the more defensively responsible option for the Swiss. Many I talked to loved how grounded he was, showcasing size, mobility and physicality. I can see both of them earning time on the penalty kill this year before earning top-four promotions for 2026.
Forwards
Who’s going to score on this team? That’s the question on everyone’s minds as the team lacks a real game-changing forward up front. Jamiro Reber is one of the more notable names, having played in this tournament as an underage forward a year ago. Reber is on pace for around 30 points in the SHL, which would be quite the result for the first-year pro forward.
The most productive player with the U-20 national team this year, however, has been Jan Dorthe. The HC Fribourg-Gotteron native has seven points in 11 games this year while serving as captain – all while playing for the team for the first time. Before that, he was one of the U-19 team’s top scorers. Dorthe moved back from Sweden to Switzerland this year and even though he doesn’t have a ton of offense, he does have a solid shot and good hockey IQ.
Even though he’s not eligible until 2026, look for Lars Steiner to play a big role this year. The 5-foot-10 forward is a skilled playmaker, and he’s got an excellent wrist shot, too. Steiner is a good playreader, too – he’s so smart and doesn’t make many mistakes when it comes to dishing the puck. He’s expected to play a top-six role for the next few years, and he’s more than capable of producing.
I’ve had an affinity for Leo Braillard – a player who can puzzle at some points and wow you at others. He was one of Switzerland’s better players at the 2023 U-18s but has been inconsistent in major junior. He’s scoring at a 33-goal pace in the WHL, which is pretty solid. He’s also playing in his second World Juniors, but should hold at least a second-line role.
One player set for his World Juniors debut is Alain Graf, the captain of the U-18 team in 2023. He doesn’t have a ton of offense with SC Bern in the National League, but he’s been excellent with Basel in the Swiss League and dominant against his own age griup. He’s never been a big point producer on the national stage, but he’s a reliable two-way forward, and they’ll need some of that in the lineup.
Rico Gredig is a familiar name for national team fans. He’s never really been a guy to generate offense, but he’s a hard-working forward who isn’t afraid to get physical out there if he needs to. He played some good hockey with the U-20 team earlier this year and has spent all season with HC Davos. Hopefully, that pro experience pays off.
Another interesting prospect worth keeping an eye on is Andro Kaderli. The 19-year-old is full of energy and loves to land a big hit every time he can. He has primarily played with Leksands’ U-20 team – and he’s been an excellent goal-scorer there – but he also has played 11 games in the SHL this year, too. If all goes well, Kaderli will be one of Switzerland’s better wingers, but we’ll see.
2025 NHL Draft
Neuenschwander is the lone first-year eligible on this team. It’s not expected that he’ll play any games, but if he does, scouts will be keeping an eye on him. He’s a promising goaltender from the 2006 age group and has plenty of national team experience over the past few years. If it’s not this year for him, we’ll see him back for a second go-around next year in Minnesota.
Projection
Swiss hockey fans know it: this team isn’t good enough to go past the quarterfinal. They can definitely keep things close against Czechia and Slovakia to kick the tournament off, but their best chance to win a game is against Kazakhstan on Dec. 31. That’s a must-win regardless. They have some decent defense and OK goaltending, but it doesn’t feel like the offense is anywhere close to what it needs to be to be competitive. If either Huet or Kirsch can strike gold, they could play spoiler in the round-robin, but that might be it.
Round Robin Schedule
Dec. 26 vs. Czechia: 5:00 PM ET
Dec. 27 vs. Slovakia: 1:00 PM ET
Dec. 29 vs. Sweden: 12:00 PM ET
Dec. 31 vs. Kazakhstan: 12:00 PM ET
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