The 2017–18 National League season is the 80th season of
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
and the first season as the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
(NL). The change from National League A to National League was made at the end of the 2016–17 season.
ZSC Lions
The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and pla ...
won their 9th NL title, defeating
HC Lugano
Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships.
History
The founding of HC Lugano too ...
in game 7 of the finals.
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the most ...
won the regular season for the second consecutive year.
EHC Kloten were relegated to the
Swiss League
The Swiss League is the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the National League. The winners of the league each season plays a best-of-seven series against the bottom team of the NL, and if they win, t ...
, while
SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
The SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers are a professional ice hockey club from Rapperswil, Switzerland and are members of the National League.
History
The Lakers were founded in 1945 and were known as SC Rapperswil-Jona until 2005, when the club chan ...
won promotion to the NL for 2018–19.
Teams
Coaching changes
Off-season
Luca Cereda replaced
Gordie Dwyer as head coach of
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League (NL). The club was founded September 19, 1937, and is also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues). Though they have never won the leagu ...
for the 2017-18 season.
Mark French took over the helm of
HC Fribourg-Gottéron
HC Fribourg-Gottéron is a professional ice hockey team based in Fribourg, Switzerland, which competes in the National League (NL). The team is the sixth most attended team in Switzerland for the 2015/16 season with 6,156 spectators.
History
The ...
for the 2017-18 season, replacing
Larry Huras
Larry Robert Huras, (born July 8, 1955) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey coach and a former player. He most recently served as head coach of HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss top-flight National League A, NLA.
Playing career
Hu ...
.
Craig Woodcroft was named head coach of
Genève-Servette HC
The Genève-Servette HC (also called Servette or GSHC) is a professional ice hockey club based in Geneva, Switzerland and competing in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. The team plays their home games at th ...
after
Chris McSorley
Chris McSorley (born March 22, 1962) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and executive. He is currently the head coach of HC Lugano. He is the brother of former NHL player Marty McSorley.
Career
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, McSorley played profession ...
stepped down of the position and was named General Manager of the team.
In-season
Dan Ratushny was fired by
Lausanne
Lausanne ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...
on October 11, 2017, after posting a 3-0-3-4 record through 10 games this season. He led Lausanne to the playoffs at the conclusion of the
2016-17 regular season, his only season at the helm of this team.
Yves Sarault
Yves Victor Sarault (born December 23, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 106 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, At ...
, who was serving as head coach of Lausanne HC's junior team at the time, stepped in to fill the spot as interim head coach, before being named head coach through the end of the current season.
Pekka Tirkkonen was fired by
EHC Kloten on October 16, 2017, following a five-game losing streak and after posting a 2-0-0-11 record through 13 games this season, sitting dead last in the National League. Niklas Gaellstedt who was serving as an assistant coach at the time, replaced Tirkkonen as head coach of the team for the time being. On October 24, 2017, Kevin Schlaepfer was named head coach of the team for the remainder of the season and through the 2019-20 season.
Mike McNamara was fired by
EHC Biel
EHC Biel-Bienne is a professional ice hockey club based in the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland and plays in the National League (NL). Since the city of Biel is completely bilingual, alongside the German name EHC Biel (Abbr: EHCB) the te ...
on November 25, 2017, after a 3-0 loss to the last team in the standings,
EHC Kloten, the previous day. McNamara posted an 8-2-2-12 record through 24 games this season, sitting 7th in the standings at the time.
Martin Steinegger
Martin Steinegger (born February 15, 1972) is a Switzerland, Swiss professional ice hockey Defenceman (ice hockey), defenceman. He played in the National League (ice hockey), Nationalliga A for EHC Biel and SC Bern. He won the National League A, S ...
, the General Manager of the organization, took over the helm of the team as interim head coach.
Arenas
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League (NL). The club was founded September 19, 1937, and is also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues). Though they have never won the leagu ...
is playing its final years in the old
Valascia, as construction for their new building are set to begin in the spring of 2018 and should be ready in time for the 2020/21 NL season. The new Valascia will seat 7,000 people and will be located in the same area as the current one.
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players a ...
'
Vaillant Arena
Eisstadion Davos is an indoor arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated. Every year the Spengler Cup is played in this arena.
Major reno ...
is set to undergo major renovation at the end of the season to upgrade most of the stands, the concourse and the locker rooms. The total capacity will not change and renovation will cost about CHF 22 million.
HC Fribourg-Gottéron
HC Fribourg-Gottéron is a professional ice hockey team based in Fribourg, Switzerland, which competes in the National League (NL). The team is the sixth most attended team in Switzerland for the 2015/16 season with 6,156 spectators.
History
The ...
's plans to rebuild the
BCF Arena at the end of the
2016-17 season were postponed to after the current season. Construction which will cost about CHF 70 million will start in March 2018 and the arena's capacity will be increased from 6,500 to 8,500. Renovation will last 2 years and should be over in the summer of 2020.
The
Patinoire des Vernets
Patinoire des Vernets is an indoor arena located in Geneva, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of Genève-Servette HC. Opened in 1958, it has a seating capacity for 7,135 people.
History
When it opened in 1958 ...
in Geneva is set to undergo minor renovation during the first national team break in November. The VIP area will be expanded to add an additional 170 seats and standing room on the north side will be brought closer to the ice rink.
This is
Lausanne HC
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (F ...
's first of two seasons playing in a temporary arena. The arena seats 6,700 people and cost CHF 11 million for the two seasons. The new arena will be ready for the 2019/20 season with a seating capacity of 10,000.
Due to popular demand,
EV Zug
EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena.
History
EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in ...
had to increase the
Bossard Arena's total capacity to 7,200. These seats are located against the boards, next to the penalty boxes and at ice level.
Regular season
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on ...
, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes.
Playoffs
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 NL season
1
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
National League (ice hockey) seasons