Cody Almond and Dan Fritsche to play for Swiss national team

"I have talked to both of them. They are really excited to represent Switzerland in the future", says Hanlon about the two forwards, who both are in possession of a Swiss passport, as their ancestors are from Switzerland.

However, both had to wait before they became eligible to play for the national team. Dan Fritsche, 29, played games for the US U20 team and therefore had to spend four full seasons in Switzerland, before he was able to join the team. He scored 18 points (eight goals, ten assists) in 40 games for the ZSC Lions last season.

For the current teammate of Nino Niederreiter, Cody Almond, 25, it was a bit a easier, as he never played for Canada on any level. The two seasons, he needed to become eligible to play for Switzerland, he finished off with Genève-Servette HC last year, scoring 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games.