The World Junior Championships (WJC) is right around the corner now, and although Switzerland lost out in the Quarterfinals the last couple of seasons, they’ll once again be looking to make it further for the first time since 2019.
The 2026 World Junior Championship (WJC) will start on Dec. 26 and will showcase the best talent from around the world for players under age 20. Switzerland hasn’t had the best showing in the past few seasons, but they’ll have quite a few returning players to try and go further. Below is a prediction of Switzerland’s 2026 WJC roster, including 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goaltenders.
Switzerland’s Forwards
One of Switzerland’s biggest obstacles to winning is their lack of scoring. While they don’t have a lot of well-known NHL names on their roster like the United States and Canada, but they do have some strong players. Jonah Neuenschwander is probably the most noticeable as he’s the youngest player on the roster and is already making waves. He played last season at the age of 15, and it’s expected he’ll be on the roster once again this season. He didn’t have any points last season, but that doesn’t mean he won’t this year.
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Mike Aeschlimann | Beni Waidacher | Jonah Neuenschwander |
| Robin Nico Antenen | Lenny Giger | David Bosson |
| Nathan Borradori | Joel Grossniklaus | Lars Steiner |
| Kevin Haas | Loris Wey | Nolan Cattin |
| Jamiro Reber |
Another player on their roster who could draw some attention is Jamiro Reber, who had two points in five games in last season’s tournament. He’s another returning player and could bring some needed veteran experience. The same can be said about Robin Nico Antenen, who had a couple of points last season in the tournament.
They did have quite a few players age out, so there will be some spots filled with new names like Mike Aeschlimann, who played for the U18 team last season and put up five points in five games with three goals and two assists, and 28 points with the SCL Young Tigers U20 team.
Plus, they have newcomers Beni Waidacher, who registered 37 points with the HC Davos U20 team, Kevin Haas, who had 39 points with the EV Zug U20 team, and finally Lars Steiner, who put up an impressive 60 points with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the Quebec Martiimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last season. Each of these players could bring some much-needed offense and get some scoring going in the tournament.
Switzerland’s Defense
While defensemen aren’t typically known for their offense, Switzerland does have some players who can contribute with points, like Ludvig Johnson, who was teammates with Haas on EV Zug U20 and put up 17 points last season, plus he’s been drafted by the Utah Mammoth. Leon Muggli is another returning player, and although he hasn’t registered a lot of points, he is signed by the Washington Capitals.
He’s also spent some time in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears. Basile Sansonnens is another return player from last season, and he’s another NHL prospect for them, as he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks. As far as defense goes, Switzerland has some strong veteran players, but they also have some newcomers.
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Ludvig Johnson | Leon Muggli |
| Mischa Geisser | Guus Van der Kaaij |
| Gian Meier | Basile Sansonnens |
| Nik Lehmann |
Nik Lehmann, Gian Meier, and Mischa Geisser are all new players who could make the final cut. They’re all players with lower point totals, but that’s typical with stronger defensive styles. Johnson, Muggli, and Sansonnens will be a strong top three to guide the four newcomers who join the final roster.
Switzerland Goaltenders
This part of the roster is the easiest to project because they only had three names listed, and that’s the number of goaltenders allowed on the roster. The only debate would be who the starting goaltender is and who’s backing up. Two of the names are returning players in Christian Kirsch and Elijah Neuenschwander, and the third, Phileas Lachat, is new to the roster.
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Elijah Neuenschwander is the older brother of forward Jonah Neuenschwander, so they have familiarity there as well. Kirsch and Neuenschwander shared the duty last season, with Kirsch getting one more game, and it’s likely they’ll keep the same rotation.
| Goaltenders |
| Christian Kirsch |
| Elijah Neuenschwander |
| Phileas Lachat |
However, since both goaltenders had some struggles last season, it wouldn’t be totally surprising to see Lachat get some playing time to see what he can do. There will be no cuts made to the goaltending before the tournament starts, but it’s likely that Lachat won’t see as much ice time as Neuenschwander and Kirsch.
Switzerland Has Their Hands Full
Switzerland is in Group A for the tournament, so they’ll face the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Slovakia. They’ll be busy trying to get by those teams to make it to the quarterfinal, and the United States is who knocked them out of the tournament last season, so they’ll be looking to try to avenge that loss. They have a solid mix of veteran players and newcomers, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do this season.
