Geneva defenseman Giancarlo Chanton also wants to provide a spectacle with the national team
Image: Keystone
ZSC forward Nicolas Baechler also wants to leave his mark on the national team
Image: Keystone
Geneva defenseman Giancarlo Chanton also wants to provide a spectacle with the national team
Image: Keystone
ZSC forward Nicolas Baechler also wants to leave his mark on the national team
Image: Keystone
Defender Giancarlo Chanton and forward Nicolas Baechler will make their debut for the Swiss national team at the Karjala Cup in Helsinki. A portrait of the two.
07.11.2024, 05:01
07.11.2024, 06:46
SDA
It's Sunday evening, Nicolas Baechler is in the car on his way home after the home game with the ZSC Lions against Bern. That's why he can't react when the phone rings. He doesn't know the number. "Luckily I called back," he says with a laugh in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. It's the number of national coach Patrick Fischer, who informs him that he has been called up for the Karjala Cup. "I was quite surprised and asked if he was serious," says Baechler.
Giancarlo Chanton "started to sweat a little when he got the call from Fischer. It was a special moment, a dream come true". The defender celebrates his 22nd birthday at the end of November. He has a twin brother with whom he often went on the ice together as a child, as they lived near an ice rink. This is how his love of ice hockey developed. At the age of 15, Chanton moved from Basel to the SCL Tigers. He lived with a host family in Emmental for two years. He never felt homesick.
Instructive time in Canada
In 2019, he moved to Canada and joined the Niagara IceDogs junior team. "It took me a while to settle in," Chanton looks back. To make matters worse, the team had been greatly rejuvenated and the majority of them were losing. The championship was canceled in mid-March due to coronavirus. Chanton caught the last plane and made it home. The following season in the OHL was canceled, bringing his adventure in North America to a premature end.
"I was able to learn a lot," says Chanton. He was impressed by the mentality of the Canadians. "In training, every duel is fought just like in a game. The intensity is enormous." In addition, the Swiss still lack some of the self-confidence of the Canadians. "We could have more confidence in our ability."
The 1.88-meter-tall Chanton joined Genève-Servette HC in 2021. He spent the first two seasons at the bottom of the Geneva lineup, but has since established himself and, with an average ice time of 15:25 minutes, has earned a lot of trust. Where does he see his greatest potential? "I want to get more time on the ice by becoming faster and more explosive. Then I can implement my ideas even better. I also need to work on my offensive game," says Chanton, who describes himself as a "rather quiet guy". The NHL is still a goal for him. However, he is not someone who likes to look far ahead. So he first wants to make a good impression at the Karjala Cup.
Baechler more of a late bloomer
This also applies to 21-year-old Nicolas Baechler, who comes from a very sporty family. His father also played ice hockey and his uncle Matthias played for the former Zurich SC, among others. His mother was one of the top 15 tennis players in Switzerland. Nicolas Baechler grew up playing multiple sports; in addition to ice hockey, he also played football and tennis at the Effretikon club. He also shares his passion on the ice with his sister Alessia, who is two years younger, won the championship title three times with the Lions and has now moved on to Davos. The two have had a few duels, including in the living room with mini-sticks.
Nicolas Baechler joined the ZSC Lions organization in 2016 and has been a permanent member of the first team since this season. He is more of a late bloomer; he was only considered for a national selection for the first time at U20 level. This also has to do with the fact that he was still one of the smaller players in his first year at U17. Now, like Chanton, he is 1.88 m tall.
"When I put on weight, I first had to find out how I could use my body in the best possible way," says Baechler, who is also relatively quiet. He is now pretty good at it. "I can already be unpleasant for opponents." One of his goals is to be one of the top players in the league in tackles. His strengths also include positional play in defense. He particularly wants to improve his ability to take his chances.
However, Baechler is not only concentrating on ice hockey. He recently began studying economics at the Swiss correspondence university, which he can organize flexibly. "It's a good balance." It's good not just to think about ice hockey. At the moment, however, his only focus is on the national team. Switzerland face hosts Finland on Thursday, before taking on Sweden and the Czech Republic on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Baechler wants to recommend himself for further call-ups in Helsinki. He now knows Patrick Fischer's number.