2026 Olympic men’s hockey team preview: Switzerland

For a good 15 years or so, Switzerland built a reputation as an underdog team that could maybe steal a game or two (the 2006 Olympic victory over Canada, for example) but would fall short come playoff time.

Switzerland hasn’t won a gold medal at any major event. But since 2013, they’ve come close with four silver medals at the men’s World Championship. That includes second-place finishes in 2024 and 2025 with a roster that strongly resembles the one they’re sending to Italy. They’ve been so good in recent years that they’ve only had one regulation round-robin loss over the past four World Championship events.

A spot in the championship game feels like a pipe dream for Switzerland. But a spot in the bronze? That’s absolutely on the table.

LOOKING BACK TO 2022

The 2022 tournament was forgettable, to say the least. They actually started off with a pair of strong efforts against Russia and Czechia, losing 1-0 and 2-1, respectively. But the 5-3 loss against Denmark was an ugly one, leaving the team in the 10th seed heading into the playoff round. Switzerland avenged its loss to the Czechs, winning 4-2 in the qualification round to reach the quarterfinals. The round of eight didn’t work out, though, with a 5-1 loss to the eventual champions from Finland ending Switzerland’s tournament early.

OFFENSE

Historically, the Swiss have never really been known for their offense. When they took home silver at the 2013 Worlds, they scored 29 goals in seven round-robin games – nearly double their output from the previous two tournaments combined. Now, 29 goals is quite standard – but they upped the ante with 34 in both 2022 and 2025, with their 47 total goals leading the way last year.

So to say this team is motivated offensively would be an understatement. They’ll have a solid core group consisting of NHLers Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, Nino Niederreiter, Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev. They’ll have the strong supporting cast of Sven Andrighetto, Denis Malgin, and Christoph Bertschy.

Obviously, the NHLers are key to the team’s success. Hischier was injured during the World Championship but was an important part of the team early on. He’ll be the team’s No. 1 center, likely alongside his good buddy Fiala. The Los Angeles Kings winger has been one of Switzerland’s top performers over the past decade internationally and will be instrumental in the team’s power-play push. In Niederreiter’s case, he hasn’t had much fun with Winnipeg over the past two seasons. Maybe this will be a good opportunity to reset and prove he can still be a quality winger when the stakes are high, especially if paired with Hischier and Fiala.

Meier has had a bit of an off year with the Devils, but has been a near point-per-game player throughout his senior national team career. Look for him to play on Switzerland’s second line, likely with Malgin and Andrighetto. The trio made up one of the most dominant lines at the World Championship, so there’s no reason to break them up. The same goes for the checking duo of Christoph Bertschy and Sandro Schmid – they worked well together back in May. Don’t ignore Ken Jäger, either – he had a sneaky good showing at the Worlds as the team’s most active play disrupter.

Switzerland got some good news on the injury front recently, with both Kurashev and Suter returning before the end of January. Kurashev could play anywhere from the top line or deeper down – he’s not great offensively, but he can be a decent support player. Suter is more of a defensive forward and will likely handle third-line center duties.

The Swiss don’t have many high-end offensive weapons. Hischier is on pace for the best projected offensive season of around 27 goals and 60 points, and Fiala will likely be the only other forward to crack the 50-point barrier in the NHL this season. Sure, they might lack some of the true, high-end talent you might see on Canada, Sweden, or the United States. But this group is cohesive as a unit, and strong chemistry can come up clutch in a short tournament like this.

DEFENSE

Defensively, Switzerland seems to always thrive. They’re rarely seen scrambling and chasing after plays. Everyone seems committed to smothering the competition, no matter the opponent. And it typically works well enough – Switzerland only allowed nine goals in seven round-robin games at the recent World Championship.

Having someone like Roman Josi lead the way doesn’t hurt. Between a late-season concussion in 2024-25 and an upper-body injury in October, Josi has missed plenty of hockey (including the recent World Championship) over the past year. But Josi is still tracking for just under 20 goals and 55 points with his Nashville Predators this season while still playing some solid defensive hockey. Sure, he’s not the Norris-caliber guy he was for half a decade, but Josi is going to be absolutely critical to Switzerland’s Olympic success.

J.J. Moser has been a fan favorite among Swiss hockey fans for quite some time, and his defensive metrics have been the best of his career this year. His point totals are nothing to get excited about. But he has legitimately been a huge reason why the Tampa Bay Lightning have managed to be such a threat in the Atlantic Division this year. He won’t win it, but Moser absolutely deserves to be in the Norris Trophy conversation this year – he breaks up plays as well as anyone in the Eastern Conference.

The only other active NHL defender on the team is Jonas Siegenthaler, a well-versed stay-at-home blueliner. Siegenthaler has typically been better offensively for Switzerland than he is in New Jersey, interestingly enough. Realistically, though, he’ll be used more in a shutdown role while paired with someone who can move the puck a bit more effectively. Siegenthaler should have no issue playing 21-22 minutes a night if needed, while also killing penalties as he does with the Devils.

For the non-NHLers, Andrea Glauser doesn’t get a lot of love outside of Switzerland, but the home fans know what he does well. He’s just always involved in the play at both ends of the ice. The hard-working defender is better defensively than offensively, but he can make high-risk, high-reward passes that create high-quality chances. Look for Glauser to pair up with Josi, a duo with plenty of international experience together.

Columbus Blue Jackets fans will be familiar with both Dean Kukan and Tim Berni. Kukan spent six seasons with the club but never played more than 41 games a season. He’s a two-way forward with a strong frame, and doesn’t make a ton of costly mistakes with the puck. Berni, meanwhile, spent most of 2022-23 with the Blue Jackets, but had just three points to show for it and ended up signing long-term back home. Columbus still owns his rights, but it seems like a long shot that he’d ever head back to North America.

GOALTENDING

Most NHL fans aren’t familiar with Leonardo Genoni. But anyone who follows international hockey knows how great he is. At 38, he shows no signs of slowing down with EV Zug. He’s a former NL MVP who has won the league title seven times and the Spengler Cup twice and has three silver medals at the World Championship. Genoni is coming off one of the greatest goaltending performances in tournament history, registering a .953 save percentage and four shutouts through seven games back in May.

If Genoni is the starter, that means Akira Schmid – the lone active NHL goaltender out of Switzerland – will have a quiet two weeks. Schmid will surpass the 30 games played mark for Vegas just after the break in what has been his best NHL action to date. Granted, he has mainly been a backup or third-string guy throughout his career, but he gets the job done in spurts. Schmid has very little men’s national team experience, but did go 3-0 with a .946 save percentage at the 2024 World Championship while sitting behind Genoni. Schmid should get at least one start in the round robin, but it still feels like Genoni’s net to lose.

Reto Berra is a name many North American fans will remember. He played 76 games in the NHL and even scored in an AHL game in 2014-15. Berra has had an excellent season with HC Fribourg-Gottéron back in Switzerland, helping him to earn the final goalie spot ahead of pre-season favorite Stéphane Charlin. Berra is a two-time Olympian, but don’t be surprised if this is the one time we don’t see him get into any game action.

Overall, goaltending shouldn’t be an issue for the Swiss. They have three experienced veterans, including two with NHL experience. Goaltending is rarely a detriment for Switzerland at any men’s event – so whether it’s Genoni or Schmid in net, they should be fine.

COACHING

Patrick Fischer played in both the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Games. Now, the 50-year-old is set for his fourth Olympics as a coach, hoping to finally lead the team past the quarterfinals. This is the best Swiss team he has ever had the opportunity to coach. Fischer is a strong defensive coach, but Switzerland has become much more active on the attack under his leadership. With most of his 2025 World Championship team returning, it shouldn’t be much of a struggle to get the group back on track.

BURNING QUESTION

Can Switzerland’s power play stay hot?

With a 32.35 percent efficiency rating, no team was better on the power play at the 2025 World Championship. They also had the third-best penalty-killing percentage, which proved crucial as the games grew tighter and more intense. Switzerland’s PP unit has been among the best internationally for a few years, and it remained dangerous last year even when Josi and Hischier were injured and unable to play. Despite that, nearly a quarter of Switzerland’s offense came with the man advantage. If Switzerland can keep taking advantage of the open ice, they’yre going to make teams pay.

PREDICTION

Do not, under any circumstances, doubt Switzerland at the men’s national team level. Even if gold eludes them, they have proven they can come together and find ways to grind through to victory. Switzerland will have some tough work ahead of them in Group A, but they could come out in a good spot, matchup-wise, once the qualification round kicks off. From there, anything can happen. Given the team’s World Championship record over the past decade, a quarterfinal loss won’t cut it anymore.

FULL ROSTER

GOALTENDERS
Reto Berra
Leonardo Genoni
Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights)

DEFENSEMEN
Tim Berni (rights owned by Columbus Blue Jackets)
Michael Fora
Andrea Glauser
Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)
Dean Kukan
Christian Marti
J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils)

FORWARDS
Sven Andrighetto
Christoph Bertschy
Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings)
Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils)
Ken Jäger
Simon Knak
Philipp Kurashev (San Jose Sharks)
Denis Malgin
Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils)
Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets)
Damien Riat
Sandro Schmid
Pius Suter (St. Louis Blues)
Calvin Thürkauf

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

Feb. 12 vs. France: 6:10 AM ET
Feb. 13 vs. Canada: 3:10 PM ET
Feb. 15 vs. Czechia: 6:10 AM ET