That’s how the EHC Biel Youth Competition came about

Andreas Ruefer is a restaurateur with a flair as an entertainer.Image: Klaus Zager

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But this gets to the heart of the matter. Head coach Martin Philander (43 years old) wrote five young players on the game sheet: defender Niklas Blessing (18 years old), Gael Chryst (20 years old), forward Levy O. Christen (19), Jonah Neuenschwander (15) and Nolan Cutting (18). In terms of quantity, this is unusual. But that doesn't mean much now: junior players are called up every now and then, but then they're rarely used.

But this was actually a junior game: Niklas Blessing got exactly 17:00 minutes of ice time, Jonah Neuenschwander got 14:39, and Lee Livio Christen had 12:46 and Gaël Christe had 7:47 minutes of ice time. Only Nolan Cardin came away empty-handed for the first time.

The focus is on Jonah Neuenschwander. He only turns 15 in March and, given his age, is unlikely to feature in Swiss football's adult game. “Hockey has no regulatory restrictions,” league director Dennis Watcher said. Sporting director Martin Stanegg added: “We are still clarifying whether there could be a labor law issue. That is not the case. “At 15 years old, I was already barking with bad dogs. Is this possible? Work easy. Jonah Neuenschwander is already 190 cm tall and weighs 82 kg. He is currently making his mark at the highest level of the youth league (U 20 Elit) with 10 goals and 13 assists in 25 games. But making his professional debut at 15 years old is certainly remarkable. Coach Martin Ferlander said: “It's also rare in Sweden, even making your debut at 16 is highly unusual.”

Jonah “Gitterbueb” Neuenschwander duels with Lausanne's Davis Sklenicka.Image: trapezoid

The 15-year-old's National League debut brought back nostalgic memories of Beal. Biller's last top-flight debut came 30 years ago in the 1994/95 season, when he was 15 years old. He would then be a first-round NHL draft pick on a Swiss passport and play his first NHL game at the age of 21. Although he only played 12 NHL games (1 assist), he still had a great career. Played in more than 700 top league games and won 4 championships with HCD. In the 2006/07 season, he also became the league's top scorer with 37 goals. Sporting director Martin Stanegger (52) was present as a defender for Michel Risson's first National League appearance. “But I don't remember the details of this game. Later I attended Roman Josi's debut in Bern, but I can't remember the specific performance of his debut…”

Michel Riesen also made his debut for Bill at the age of 15.Image: PHOTOPRESS

Jonah Neuenschwander an NHL first-round draft pick like Michel Riesen? From a hockey perspective, it's possible. He already has NHL form and mobility that are rare for a young player his size. In his debut, he provided an assist and rewritten the score to 1-0. But there are many uncertainties in the rise.

The Bills' coach didn't put his 15-year-old rookie on the fourth line. He had him running alongside two foreign forwards, Jerei Salinen and Alexi Heponiemi, for nearly half a minute, after which he would say: “Players develop only if they are given opportunities.” He was right, he You're right: there's little use in using a drop counter. Either completely or not at all.

With all the attention on Jonah Neuenschwander, it's almost forgotten that Livio Christen scored the winning goal for Luka Christen in his NFC debut (2- 1) The decisive pass. The two are unrelated to each other.

But the question is: How is this teen game possible? There are three reasons for this. First, there’s the bad luck that comes with injuries. Five offensive players including Luca Quinti, Jeremy Balchi, Lias Anderson, Gaetan Haas and Damien Brenner are absent. Secondly, the courage of the coach, and thirdly, the “axis of goodness”.

• 7

  A leader who can decide games and make his team better on and off the ice.

• 6-7

  A talented player who can decide a game on a good night and is a leader.

• 5-6

  A good NL player: usually a rainbow butterfly of talent, sometimes a serious worker who brings out a lot of talent.

• 4-5

  Players on the third or fourth block, veterans or newcomers.

• 3-4

  The future is still ahead of you, or the future is already behind you.

• The rating is based on the North American Hockey Grading Scale, ranging from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). There are no levels below level 3, because those who play in the top leagues are at least barely adequate.

Young players want to support everyone. But not everyone does. It can only continue to operate on the “axis of goodness”. It goes from the top to the bottom: from the executive committee to the sporting director, to the coach, to the academy director, to the players. Without solid support from the executive committee, no athletic director would recommend a coach use a junior player, preferring instead to complain about bad luck due to injuries. Without the reliable support of the sports director, no coach dares to let a 15-year-old boy play alongside foreigners; he is content to do some off-site tasks when the game results come out, and prefers to find good excuses. Effective utilization of talent is meaningless without close cooperation with young coaches. It only works when one thing leads to another, like in the nursery rhyme “Joggeli söll ga Birli shakele”, only when there is this axis, this line, this philosophy in the club.

Martin Philander praised the partnership with the Bills youth department. Image: trapezoid

Bill's coach praised the good collaboration with the academy and observes youth team games whenever possible. Possible uses are decided together. Jonah Neuenschwander won't be taking the National League by storm until the season is over. He will be used heavily and will continue to clear the perimeter for most junior players. “It's important for a young player's development and confidence that he can dominate on the ice again,” said Martin Philander when explaining the great talent's plans to return to the junior ranks.

Careful care and observation ensure that the energy balance is correct and that there is no overload. Some degree of shielding is part of care. Even Claude Jaggi from state-owned SRF radio was not allowed to be interviewed by Jonah Neuenschwander after the game. The coach said the enforced absence from the media helps stay humble and not stand out. “Jonah still has to go to school.”

In the youth competition, Bill defeated Lausanne 6-1. The playoff finalists weren't all that bad. But the Bills experienced youth hockey's lavish prom night: almost everything worked out. This was their best game of the season. They flew across the ice. They combined direct passes with Antti Törmänen's best moments. The boys' ease, grit and energy are the oxygen to Bill's game. The audience was enthusiastic and the coach praised: “Young players always bring energy and enthusiasm to the locker room.”

It would be presumptuous, even questionable, to expect a repeat of this spectacle against Bern on Friday. But the “axis of good” is working, and even as the troubled Giants gradually return to the team, Bill will continue to support young talent in a targeted manner. This is part of the club's philosophy.

There’s something else going on this Tuesday night. Six foreigners leave no room for talent integration? There is no youth training development in the National League? Anyone who doesn't know the league and follows Tuesday's match alone will come to a completely different conclusion: Timo Gianni (20) scored 1-0 for Langnau in Lugano. Ludwig Johnson (18) scored for Zug against Kloten to make it 1-0, while Alessandro Segafredo (20) ZSC Lions had an assist in Rapperswil-Jona's 4-1 win over ZSC Lions. Lausanne, relying on the help of two teenage goalkeepers, Kevin Pasche (21) and Antoine Keller (20), is just one point behind league leaders ZSC Lions.

Youngster Segafredo has impressed at ZSC.Image: trapezoid

The Nations League is a league of talent, not foreigners and expensive Swiss stars. or?