This is the debut of the national hockey team

Defender Giancarlo Chandon and forward Nicolas Bachler will make their debuts for the Swiss national team at the Karjala Cup in Helsinki. A photo of the two of them.

sasha fey/keystone-sda

It's Sunday evening and Nicolas Baechler is on his way home after ZSC Lions' home game against Bern. That's why he couldn't respond when the phone rang. He doesn't know the number. “Luckily I called back,” he said with a smile in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. This was the number of national team coach Patrick Fisher, who informed him that he had been called up for the Karjala Cup. “I was surprised and asked him if he was serious,” Bechler said.

Giancarlo Chanton “got a little excited” when Fisher called. This is a special moment, a dream come true. “The defender will celebrate his 22nd birthday at the end of November. He has a twin brother and used to go skating with him as a kid because they lived near the rink. That's how my love for hockey developed. Shanton (Chanton) moved from Basel to the SCL Tigers when he was only 15 years old. He lived in a host family in Emmental for two years. He didn't miss home.

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In 2019, he moved to Canada and joined the Niagara IceDogs junior team. “It took me a while to get used to it,” Shanton recalled. To make matters worse, the team had significantly rejuvenated but most of them lost. The tournament was canceled in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shanton took the last flight home. The following OHL season was canceled, prematurely ending his North American adventure.

“I learned a lot,” Shanton said. He was impressed by the Canadian mentality. “In training, every duel is played like a game. The intensity is huge.” In addition, the Swiss also lack the confidence of the Canadians. “We can be more confident in our abilities.”

In 2021, Chanton, who is 1.88 m tall, joined Genève-Servette HC. He experienced “downs” in the Geneva team in the first two seasons, but now he has established himself and won a lot of trust with an average playing time of 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Where does he see his greatest potential? “I want to get more ice time by getting faster and more explosive. That way I can implement my ideas better. I also have to work on offense,” said Chandon, who describes himself as A “pretty quiet guy.” The NHL remains his goal. But he is not a visionary. So he initially wanted to have a good card in the Karjala Cup.

Bechler is more of a late bloomer

This also applies to 21-year-old Nicolas Baechler, who comes from a very athletic family. His father also played ice hockey and Uncle Mathias worked for the former FC Zurich. My mother is one of the top 15 tennis players in Switzerland. Nicolas Baechler played many sports as a child. In addition to ice hockey, he plays football and tennis at a club in Evretikon. He also shares his passion for the ice with his sister, Alesia, who is two years younger and has won three championships with the Lions and is now headed to Davos. The two dueled several times, including with mini sticks in the living room.

Nicolas Baechler joined the ZSC Lions organization in 2016 and has been a permanent member of the first team since this season. He was more of a late bloomer. He was only considered for the national team for the first time in the U20 national team. This also has to do with the fact that he was one of the smaller players in his first year at U17. Now, he is the same height as Chanton at 1.88 m.

Nicolas Baechler is now a regular for ZSC Lions.Image: trapezoid

“When I gained weight, I first had to figure out how to best use my body,” says Bechler, who is also relatively calm. He's doing great now. “I can make it uncomfortable for the opponent.” One of his goals is to become one of the top players in the league against each other. His strengths also include defensive positioning. In particular, he hopes to improve his ability to evaluate opportunities.

Bechler isn't just focused on hockey, however. He has recently started studying economics at the Open University of Switzerland, which allows him to schedule his studies flexibly. “It's a good balance.” It's better not to just think about hockey. Currently he only has the national team. Switzerland will face hosts Finland on Thursday and Sweden and the Czech Republic on Saturday and Sunday. Bechler hopes to recommend himself to more teams in Helsinki. He now knew Patrick Fisher's phone number. (Abu/Sudan Development Authority)

Defender Giancarlo Chandon and forward Nicolas Bachler will make their debuts for the Swiss national team at the Karjala Cup in Helsinki. A photo of the two of them.

It's Sunday evening and Nicolas Baechler is on his way home after ZSC Lions' home game against Bern. That's why he couldn't respond when the phone rang. He doesn't know the number. “Luckily I called back,” he said with a smile in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. This was the number of national team coach Patrick Fisher, who informed him that he had been called up for the Karjala Cup. “I was surprised and asked him if he was serious,” Bechler said.