Ricardo Schödler of Kloten – becomes sports director thanks to carnival beer idea

After many years as manager of the Swiss national ice hockey team, Ricardo Schödler moves to Kloten as sporting director. He told the “Hockey Talk” podcast how this happened and what the Bassersdorf Carnival has to do with it.

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Ricardo Schödler has been the Sports Director of EHC Kloten since May. He can look back on his work with satisfaction so far, although Kloten has slowed down after a strong start to the season and is currently in 10th place. But a win against Friborg on Thursday night (8pm, live on TV24) could see them move back into eighth place. In any case, there has been significant improvement compared to last season's distant 13th place.

In fact, the 36-year-old's initial choice of this career path was also linked to a crazy idea, as Schödler explained in Thomas Roost and Matthias Röthlisberger's CH Media podcast “Hockey-Talk”, or rather Say, a beer idea from the Bassersdorf Carnival.

The good form at the start of the season has stabilized recently.Image: trapezoid

This was in 2011. At the time he was still playing in Basersdorf's second division before becoming sporting director at the age of 23. “It was a crazy idea, it felt like in my youthful recklessness I was more aware of everything,” Scheidler adds with a laugh, looking back on his beginnings: “I was interested in everything around me from an early age. For example , how NHL teams are organized, or why there’s a shutdown.”

In January 2012, he took a position in the Swiss Ice Hockey Association, responsible for the youth national team. In the meantime, he remained at Bassersdorf and later served as sporting director at Bracher for three seasons. In 2018, he moved to the Football Association and has been the head coach of all national teams since then – until this summer, when he once again took on the role of sporting director.

Scheidler said of his first months in Kloten: “I felt very comfortable in the role, it was exactly what I had imagined.” However, something still surprised him: “The euphoria here was amazing. “It's unbelievable.” People keep approaching Schödler, “even though I'm not familiar with it.” The Kloten native knows how much ice hockey means to the fans in his home country. “But the fact that it was so extreme and people were having so much fun surprised me a little bit and gave me energy.”

You can also hear the pride when the father of two sons talks about his job. In retrospect, the 36-year-old sporting director particularly feels that the decision to hire Lauri Marjamäki as coach was the right one. “It supports our concept and its implementation fits perfectly with my ideas for Kloten,” says Schödler. The 47-year-old Finn “is a good communicator and has a very clear game concept.” So every player knows what they have to do.

Marjamäki's contract only runs until the end of the season and Scheidler sees planning a further partnership as one of his priorities for this season. He also wants to improve player training and return to the days of Kloten developing top players. And has an increasing influence on team planning.

Head coach Lauri Marjamäki fits Schödler's thoughts on Kloten.Image: trapezoid

Between May and the start of the season in mid-September, he signed several players including Ludovic Warber, Thomas Grégoire, Daniel Odette and Sami Nikou. Of course, most of the team was already there. Nonetheless, Scheidler said: “I believe that from the moment I take over, this will be my team. And not just when the only players I have signed are left.