Switzerland opens Euro Hockey Tour season in Helsinki as world No. 1

Switzerland starts its Euro Hockey Tour season in Helsinki on Thursday, facing Finland before games against Sweden and the Czech Republic.

The team enters the tournament as the world’s top-ranked national team and is aiming to win a Euro Hockey Tour event for the first time.

Thursday’s match against hosts Finland is a rematch of this year’s world championship final in Zurich, which Switzerland lost 1-0 in overtime.

Six players are making their first appearances for the national team in coach Jan Cadieux’s 26-player squad.

The tour is a series of tournaments involving these national teams, with Switzerland also due to play at home in Zurich in December and in Stockholm in February.

Switzerland’s world championship preparation begins on April 13, with the tournament scheduled to start on May 13 against host Germany in Gelsenkirchen.

The host country could change: Germany’s ice hockey federation has not ruled out giving up the tournament after a court decision allowed Russian national teams to return to international competitions.