FRIBORG-GOTTÉRON

Despite a slow end to the season, the Dragons have not made any changes to their squad. With the change of sports director planned for the end of the 2023-2024 financial year, the retention of the coaching position with Christian Dubé and the gradual integration of the young talents Dominik Binias (21 years old), Kevin Etter (20 years old) and Kevin Nicolet (20 years old), we seem to be gently preparing us for the future in Gottéron.

But the present has not been forgotten either with three important new additions: the Swedish defender Andreas Borgman (28 years old) and the attackers Lucas Wallmark (27 years old) and Chris DiDomenico (34 years old). The return of the Canadian troublemaker is a real question mark. Andreas Borgman, for his part, comes from Frölunda after a title-rich career in Sweden and the AHL. The Stockholm native is solid and completes a rearguard in which the eternal Ryan Gunderson (38 years old) and Raphael Diaz (37 years old) are likely to retain the most offensive roles.

As for Lucas Wallmark, he “escaped” from Marc Crawford’s coaching time in Zurich. The 27-year-old center, who scored 25 points in 30 games under the aegis of Rikard Grönborg, suffered a decline in performance with the Canadian’s arrival (10 points in 27 games). He should be one of those offensive leaders that Freiburg was missing last season. This means the Dragons have the necessary quality to at least finish in the top 10. Or even in the top 6 if the circumstances are favorable?

LAUSANNE

According to Lions officials themselves, the first season of the post-Svoboda era will be one of reconstruction. With a miserable debt of almost 50 million francs, any other project would be risky. Despite his limited scope, John Fust has carried out an impressive recruitment of his foreigners. Behind this are the new additions from Swedes Christian Djoos and Lawrence Pilut.

The former (29 years old) comes from Zug, where he was a mainstay of the club for two seasons, far beyond the purely accounting aspect (“only” 0.6 points per game). The 27-year-old Swedish-American dual citizen comes from North America, where he played 78 games in the Sabers organization (Buffalo and Rochester). With 9 starting defenders, the Lausanne rearguard is one of the densest in the championship.

However, the biggest new addition for the Vaudois team comes at the offensive level with the arrival of Finn Antti Suomela. The 29-year-old center has had an exceptional season in Sweden, in which he scored a total of 72 points in 54 games with Oskarshalm, finishing seventh and being eliminated in the round of 16. The Finn comes to Lausanne with a patented scoring suit, although his four seasons in North America (NHL and AHL) have not always confirmed this profile. The LHC ranking will depend in part on its offensive performance. However, it is difficult not to at least put the people of Lausanne in the “play-in” position.

JOY

After paradoxically doubling their points total and suffering two defeats in the regular season compared to their first year, the Jurassiens must prove this year that they have their place in the National League and not repeat the troubleshooting they did last summer. To ensure safety, Julien Vauclair recruited Christian Wohlwend, the best coach who was familiar with Swiss ice hockey.

The 46-year-old from Graubünden, who was born in Montreal (necessary for the Québec touch necessary in Porrentruy), will gain his first experiences in French-speaking Switzerland and also worked for Martin Steinegger’s small newspapers in Biel. The technician, known for both his great skill and his strong character, is best known on this side of the Saane for throwing bottles in the direction of the referees as coach of Davos. However, one question remains: can he manage to unite a group around him, even if the Ajoulots are going through more difficult times?

The HCA has also undoubtedly strengthened on the ice with the new additions of the Canadians Daniel Audette (ex-Lausanne) and Éric Gélinas (ex-Bern) as well as the tough Jannik Fischer (ex-Ambri). If everyone stays healthy, the Bruntrutain troop seems to have improved in quality, but remains a little behind in terms of quantity. Enough to do better than last year, but it will still be difficult to escape the playout.

Bastien Trottet – @BastienTrottet

Also read: the summer of the French-speaking people… and others (1/2)