2011 NHL Entry Draft: Swiss Prospects

Last year, the outcome of the NHL Entry Draft from a Swiss-view was a inconclusive. In Nino Niederreiter, Switzerland had their highest player ever drafted with the fifth overall pick. However, Mauro Jorg was the only other Swiss player drafted. The 2011 NHL Entry Draft could be similar for Swiss prospects with Sven Bartschi possibly cracking the first round and Dario Trutmann also getting selected. There remains hope however as Rafik Soliman (Special to McKeen's Hockey Prospects) looks at five other Swiss prospects that might hear their name called during the draft.

Gregory Hofmann (2011), LW, HC Ambri-Piotta

Hoffmann is a two-way forward who had a strong showing at the 2011 World Junior Championship .. is currently sidelined with a non-concerning sprained knee until around the end of February, but is among the leaders of a struggling National League A Team of Ambri-Piotta .. has average size, but with room to bulk up and get stronger .. has a convincing hockey sense, which helps his playmaking and defensive abilities.

Alessio Bertaggia (2011), RW, HC Lugano

Was an early cut from the U20 World Junior Championship Team, but didn't let it get to him and continued his stellar play in the National League A with the HC Lugano .. is only 5-foot-8, but his passion, speed and skating make up for his size .. plays fearless and hits in a pinball mode, while using his speed to his advantage .. a project, but could be a good gamble.

Benjamin Conz (2011), G, SC Langnau

Wasn't able to repeat his play from the 2010 World Junior Championship, but was again among the better goaltenders of the tournament .. his play helped Switzerland to again avoid the relegation round .. has great reflexes and relies on them due to his suboptimal movement, which probably comes because of his bigger than normal goalie equipment .. his hockey sense lets him anticipate the play in advance .. isn't shy of playing the puck, but his puckhandling still needs work .. however, he is among the best in the National League A.

Dean Kukan (2011), D, GCK Lions

Kukan seems to lap with his development and can't take the next step .. he wasn't able to crack the Swiss World Junior-Team and is still toiling around in the National League B, where he's playing with the GCK Lions .. although he finally made his A-debut with the ZSC Lions, he saw limited icetime in his two games he played so far .. his mobility and outlet passing skills make him a defender with a lot of influence to the game, but he tends to find the risky play instead of the safer pass, which can lead to turnovers.

Samuel Guerra (2011), D, HC Davos

His stellar and safe play earned him a spot on the World Junior Championship Team as an underager where he played a regular shift .. is undersized for a NHL defender and has only average skating abilities .. he also has the habit to go into the offensive zone to forecheck, although he should realize that he has no chance to get the puck and should concentrate on playing his position on defense .. has a long reach which helps his defensive play.