2026 Olympic Preview: Switzerland

Happy Olympic season everyone! After four long years, we are back in action on the biggest stage, and just like always it’s set to be a fun few weeks on the ice. 

For Team Switzerland, there are both familiar and new faces making the trip to Milan. The team is still young, just like they were in České Budějovice for the World Championships less than a year ago. However, there’s another year of experience throughout the lineup, and hopefully there’s a bit more to celebrate after this tournament compared to the last one. 

Let’s get into what I’m thinking and what my expectations are for the team before they hit the ice Feb 6. 

How’d They Get Here: 

The Swiss have been guaranteed a spot at the Olympic games since back in 2024, after they finished in the Top-Five following the conclusion of the tournament in Utica. Not only did that again secure them a spot in Group A of the World’s Pool, it ensured that along with the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Czechia, the team would be able to compete in Milan without any further qualification. 

In the years since 2022, things have been fairly rough for Switzerland. While consistently in Group A for the World Championships, the team has failed to win a medal since back in 2012, and has finished in fifth each of the last two years. 

Last Olympics: 

In four round-robin games in Beijing, Switzerland finished with a 1-0-0-3 record, securing just three points to tie alongside Finland and the Russian contingent. However, since the Swiss finished with a goal differential of -21, they found themselves in the fifth spot in Group A heading into the playoff round. 

The team went on to defeat the ROC in the quarterfinals, before being decimated by Canada in the semis. A shutout loss in the Bronze medal game to Finland concluded their run, just shy of a top-three finish. 

Alina Müller finished the tournament as her team’s top scorer, with four goals and 10 total points across her seven games. Lara Stalder was close behind with nine points (5G, 4A) — both are set to return for the 2026 tournament. 

Final Roster: 

Forwards (13)

• Leoni Balzer 
• Rahel Enzler 
• Naemi Herzig 
• Sinja Leemann 
• Lena-Marie Lutz 
• Alina Marti 
• Alina Müller 
• Kaleigh Quennec 
• Lisa Rüedi
• Vanessa Schaefer 
• Lara Stalder 
• Ivana Wey 
• Laura Zimmermann 

Defenders (7)

• Alessia Baechler
• Annic Büchi
• Lara Christen 
• Laure Mériguet 
• Shannon Sigrist 
• Nicole Vallario 
• Stefanie Wetli

Goaltenders (3):

• Andrea Brändli 
• Saskia Maurer
• Monja Wagner

Note: Noemi Rhyner was originally named to the team for Milan, however an injury has sidelined the forward for the foreseeable future. Lisa Rüedi will take her place on the roster instead. 

Two Players To Watch: 

The obvious answers are the ones whose names are littered throughout the rest of this piece, but in true Emma-fashion, I’m going to go off the board slightly. 

First is the starting goaltender position. At the 2025 Worlds, netminders Andrea Brändli and Saskia Maurer each saw substantial time in the net for the squad, and the pair are set to return to the team for the Olympics. 

The 2025 World Championships were, for lack of a better word, disastrous for Brändli. In just four games played, and a total of 200 minutes — just 55.7% of the total minutes for Switzerland — she had the second-worst SV% with a .873, the worst goals against average at 5.10, and conceded the most goals out of any of the netminders playing. This will be her second appearance at the Olympics, after being the main starter in Beijing back in 2022.

This year, the goaltender has spent this season with Frölunda in the SDHL. Her .944 save percentage sits atop the league in the statistic, although she hasn’t played as many games as some of the other netminders. If she’s able to keep her momentum up and perform better at the Olympics than she did at Worlds a year ago, things will fair better for her team. 

And if things don’t go swimmingly, Maurer has proven to be a capable option for the team. Her .914 SV% at the 2025 Worlds across three appearances was good for fourth-best in Group A, and she backstopped the team to their lone win. I’d like to see her get a chance in a few games, especially if the Swiss are in contention for a potential medal. 

Then, if we’re looking for someone to step up offensively, I’m really interested to see how Naemi Herzig performs on the national team, considering how well her first season in the NCAA has been going. 

Last season in the SWHL, the 2007-born forward had just nine points across 24 games. This year, as a freshman with Holy Cross in Division I, Herzig has put up 21 points including 14 assists — putting her in a tie for eighth in Hockey East scoring. If she’s able to carry that momentum into the international tournament, it could help. Especially since Switzerland’s offense desperately needs a jolt. 

What Does Success Look Like: 

Easy answer: scoring goals, and keeping them out of the net. Stalder and Müller have done the bulk of the lifting for Switzerland offensively for the past few years, and that makes complete sense considering just how young the rest of the roster is. However, there was frankly no lifting able to be done last year, with just four goals in six games played. 

At the last Olympics, Switzerland had the worst goal differential out of any team in either Group A or B. I’d like to see that not happen again this time around, or at the very least keep that goal differential below -20. 

Additionally, considering how stagnant their offense has been overall, cutting back on the amount of times being shutout would be a win itself. It will be tough, yes, especially with their young roster. But I’m being optimistic and think that they can accomplish some, if not all, of what I’ve discussed here. 

Predicted Finish:

I do think that this is going to be another fifth-place finish for the Swiss. With how things have gone in the last few tournaments, and considering how strong the rest of the field is, fifth makes the most sense to me overall. 

At the end of the day though, I think winning more than just one game would be a win in itself.