The National League pressure rankings: that’s how high the expectations are for my club
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Last spring in the semi-final against Biel: The ZSC Lions are now under high pressure.
Dinosaur KesslerHead of ice hockey department
Those who expect too much will be disappointed. An old truth and little consolation when the beloved club ruins everything. However, the bar is not the same everywhere: whoever defends the title like Servette can also pull the master blues joker. Everyone else must win. Or rather: almost all of them.
We’ve created a ranking that will put your club to the test – but with a slight wink.
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A maximum of 10 points will be awarded three times each for sporting expectations, for the time elapsed since the last title win (if) and for the condition of the team (expiration date reached?).
Whoever collects the most points has the greatest pressure. Enjoy it.
14
Ajoie: 30/3
Expectation factor: 1/10. If you can finish last without anyone complaining, that means no pressure anywhere.
Drought Factor: 1/10. Ajoie won the Swiss Cup in the spring of 2020 – a competition that no longer exists.
Expiration Factor: 1/10. It doesn’t matter if the team has reached its peak or not. They can do whatever they want.
Last spring, Ajoie could only secure its stay in the National League through league qualification.
13
Assholes: 10/30
Expectation factor: 4/10. The reserved course fits the new image of the club, just don’t change it. Even an end to the season without play-offs wouldn’t be a fiasco.
Drought Factor: 1/10. The last title (1996) marked the end of an era – but after relegation the counters are reset to zero.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. There are a few older semesters in the defensive area. At this point, experience still counts.
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Kloten chooses a cautious course.
12
Napkin: 11/30
Expectation factor: 1/10. The first French champion since 1973 does not have to do anything. The master blues can be enjoyed.
Drought Factor: 1/10. This is the defending champion.
Expiration Factor: 9/10. A plea for the geriatric department of the University Hospital of Geneva.
Servette’s top striker Valtteri Filppula played a key role in the title. However, the Finn is already 39 years old.
11
SCL Tigers 12/30
Expectation factor: 5/10. A look at the selection list prevents the reflexive question of participation in the play-offs.
Drought Factor: 2/10. The only title? 1976. However, since then the club has been relegated a few times.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. The new crew only recently started removing the old problems. Patience is required.
Busy? Coach Paterlini has already put the Tigers on the right track in his first season.
10
Ambri: 14/30
Expectation factor: 7/10. The success at the Spengler Cup has apparently clouded some people’s vision: they are now actually demanding participation in the play-offs, perhaps even directly.
Drought Factor: 2/10. Ambri was in the final in 1999, that’s all. However, Che Guevara is in sight, and a title win would call into question the carefully cultivated revolutionary image.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. Inti Pestoni already 32 years old? Incredible.
Are Ambri and goalkeeper Juvonen actually one of the play-off aspirants?
9
EV train: 15/30
Expectation factor: 7/10. Two titles in three years – that’s a big problem. But you (Dan Tangnes) really want to get back on the throne.
Drought Factor: 3/10. Only Servette waits even less time. However, they come from Western Switzerland and you basically have more time there.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. According to his ID, Leonardo Genoni is 36 years old, but that can only be a propaganda lie: he looks 10 years younger.
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36 years old? Nobody believes it. Leonardo Genoni looks youthful and fresh. There may be a few seasons left…
8th
Lakers: 16/30
Expectation factor: 8/10. Only those who expect something can be disappointed. The Lakers have done some preliminary work in this regard. Anything other than a top 6 finish would almost be disappointing.
Drought Factor: 2/10. They have never been champions, but have only been part of the wider sporting establishment for a short time (re-promotion).
Expiration Factor: 6/10. Roman Cervenka is already 37, but he eats dates all the time. By the way, they would help with anything possible.
Likes dates: Lakers star Roman Cervenka.
7
Friborg: 20/30
Expectation factor: 5/10. Dubé should actually pull off a coup soon or at least reach the play-offs straight away. If that doesn’t work, he should appear in costume as the Grinch more often.
Drought Factor: 10/10. If you don’t have a title yet, you’ve been waiting forever plus 10 days. However, you can also like Fribourg without a title.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. Even Killian Mottet is already 32 years old.
A man with style and humor: Christian Dubé in a Grinch costume.
6
HC Davos 21/30
Expectation factor: 8/10. Christian Wohlwend has put the club on the right track sportingly, but now the next step must come: back to the top.
Drought Factor: 7/10. The record champion’s last title win dates back to 2015. Tradition obliges.
Expiration Factor: 6/10. Andres Ambühl turns 40 on Thursday. Everyone else is significantly younger.
Büeli-National celebrates its 40th anniversary on September 14.
5
Lugano: 22/30
Expectation factor: 9/10. People across the board have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for a strong season, from A to Z and without coaching debate.
Drought Factor: 8/10. Lugano last won a title in 2006. Others waited a long time, but others haven’t spent the money like drunken sailors since.
Expiration Factor: 5/10. A few grizzled veterans don’t spoil the overall picture: the mix is right.
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A while ago: Harold Kreis as master coach at HC Lugano. That was 2006.
4
Lausanne: 25/30
Expectation factor: 10/10. The last really strong season? The Vaudois had it under Heinz Ehlers. Besides, he’s training Visp now.
Drought Factor: 8/10. Apart from the second title in 1950, Lausanne has nothing to offer. But those who invest so heavily do not benefit from the bonus of a few relegations.
Expiration Factor: 7/10. Sports director John Fust in particular skates on thin ice. Since 2018 he has held various positions, but without ever being convincing.
Sports director Fust and coach Geoff Ward: The results must be correct immediately in Lausanne.
3
Biel: 26/30
Expectation factor: 10/10. The title is probably necessary for a runner-up. Is that fair? No. But that is the reality in the age of quarterly earnings tyrants.
Drought Factor: 8/10. No playoff title, last champion in 1983. That’s 40 years.
Expiration Factor: 8/10. A few older men you’d like to see (for the first time or again) as champions: Damien Brunner (37), Beat Forster (40), Luca Cunti (34).
And now the title? Last season EHC Biel reached the final.
2
SCB: 27/30
Expectation factor: 10/10. This is SC Bern.
Drought Factor: 9/10. Everyone remembers the recent title flood: 2016, 2017, 2019. But: that is SC Bern.
Expiration Factor: 8/10. Many of Switzerland’s top players are over 30. How long can they continue if the game has to be played in a more rustic way again?
After the title is before the title: This is SC Bern.
1
ZSC Lions: 28/30
Expectation factor: 10/10. Stars, stars, stars.
Dürre factor: 9/10. The last title (2018) was not that long ago, but they wanted to move to the new stadium with a title or celebrate it in the first year in Altstetten. This demand went completely wrong. And: stars, stars, stars.
Expiration Factor: 9/10. Nine permanent employees with a Swiss passport are 30 years or older.
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Fresh from the NHL: With superstar Denis Malgin, expectations for the ZSC Lions become even greater.
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.