U18 Vlado Dzurilla: Swiss Burgler

The final installment of the U18 Vlado Dzurilla tournament takes a look at the Swiss team, including Dario Burgler – possibly the biggest revelation of the event among European forwards.

Fernando Heynen (2005), D

Registered a solid start in the tournament with a decent showing against Slovakia in the opener .. made use of his solid skating skills and held his own on defense .. showed a bigger offensive flair during the second game against Germany, but was prone to bad timing, forcing a forward to cover for him on the back-check .. kept his shot hidden on powerplay units .. pulled off an average showing in the third game against the USA, looking a bit tired .. prone to passing without reading the game properly, which led to missed chances for the Swiss forwards .. wasn't a complete disappointment, but didn't turn heads with his play.

Dario Burgler (2006), RW

The biggest revelation among European forwards on this tournament .. played three very good games with the best coming against USA in the third contest .. wasn't much of a physical factor in the first game, though he thrived physically in the remaining two .. made use of his skating skills to be efficient in the offensive zone .. willing to shoot the puck often .. dangerous on powerplay units .. showed attributes of North American play and performed in traffic regularly .. offensive catalyst of the Swiss elite unit turned out to be the tournament's best goal scorer.

Alessandro Chiesa (2005), D

The Swiss alternate captain played a consistent but unspectacular tournament .. didn't stand out in any of the three games .. didn't rush forward often and filled more of a defensive role .. slow first-step quickness prevented him from being fully effective on transitions and turnovers .. unleashed his slap shot often in the games against Slovakia and Germany, although accuracy is still an issue .. performed on powerplay units as a point-man .. didn't register significant progress over the course of the season .. his size is a noticeable strength, but the rest didn't look like a player who could develop into a NHL blueliner.

Roger Summermatter (2005), D

Asked to complement the more offensive-minded Fernando Heynen on the first defensive unit .. filled his defensive role conscientiously, but didn't stand out .. played an average game against Slovakia with a minimum of defensive lapses .. showed problems when the pace of the game picked up .. withstood the more physical play of the USA squad in the third game .. lacked creativity with the puck .. overall, his game doesn't look to be at a standard of a legitimate NHL prospect.

Yannick Weber (2007), D

The youngest member of the Swiss squad .. quiet during the first game against Slovakia, focusing solely on a defensive role before his confidence rose and blossomed in the remaining two games .. regularly bombed the opposing goalies with hard, accurate shots from the point .. the tournament's best point-man .. lack of experience was still visible as the opposing forwards could make Weber leave his position, especially in the game against Germany .. was a bit hindered by his average skating skills .. mean streak was particularly hidden until the game against the U.S., but then demonstrated that he likes physical play despite being undersized .. a pleasant young surprise.

Janick Steinmann (2005), C

The Swiss captain turned out to be the best player of the team by a decent margin .. the heart and soul of the team stood out among his teammates in all three games .. proved that he is the top Swiss 2005 eligible skater .. both smart and patient with the puck .. his combo with Pascal Zbinden and Juraj Simek clicked well .. hesitant to finish the chances on his own which was visible especially in the second game against Germany .. lifted his mean streak in the game against the USA and accepted the physical challenge .. dangerous on most shifts .. didn't quit working when the team was trailing and displayed solid character and leadership .. played well and registered a very good tournament.

Pascal Zbinden (2005), LW

The diminutive sparkplug played a solid tournament, but didn't show many assets which would help overlook his severe lack of size .. got better as the tournament went on .. not very visible during the first game against Slovakia .. his best showing came in the game against Germany .. the more physical USA team neutralized him on numerous scoring chances, but Zbinden didn't quit working hard .. proved that he is able to win foot races .. had to dance around the opposing players in traffic instead of crashing the net .. didn't register a noticeable improvement in his game, but overall a decent tournament for him.

Juraj Simek (2006), RW

Showed that he registered the biggest improvement in his game from all European players in the tournament .. was a force to be counted on in all three games .. his best contest came in the opener against Slovakia with numerous offensive chances and a good chemistry with Janick Steinmann .. looked a bit tired in the third game against USA, but still was effective .. made use of his more powerful stride and the opposing defensemen had a tough time chasing him .. bulk is missing, but he worked in all three zones .. displayed more crafty puckhandling skills and an ability to find the open man more quickly.

Jeremy Gailland (2006), C

The under-aged forward wasn't a tournament standout, but showed some flashes of a decent prospect on a solid number of shifts during all three games .. registered a decent improvement in his play this season .. read the developing plays quicker and could show a solid passing ability .. played with a solid character and was willing to get involved in puck battles along the boards, especially in the game against Slovakia .. floated on the periphery on some shifts of the second game against Germany .. isn't going to be a blue-chipper, but proved he should be worth watching next season.

Samuel Friedli (2005), RW

Jumped out with a very good showing in the first game against Slovakia with a fast sneaky play and bursts of offense, which caused trouble for the Slovak defensemen .. agile and quick before cooling down in the second and third games .. was less of a factor in the remaining two games .. toiled on the fourth line and didn't get much support from his linemates .. the more physical USA team gave him a tough time as Friedli didn't deal with the physical style very well .. hardly fought his way into scoring chances .. impressive beginning but a disappointing finish of the tournament.

Fabrizio Conte (2005), C

The alternate captain of the Swiss team centered the first line .. was relatively quiet during the tournament opener against Slovakia, impressing only with a number of accurate passes across the zone .. a better force in the second match-up, but his lack of size couldn't be overlooked .. created solid scoring chances for Dario Burgler to finish and was a clutch performer .. the USA players got under his skin in the final game, where he was not a noticeable factor .. did not fare well in high-traffic areas .. a decent showing, but a pro scout looks for different kinds of players.