2017–18 NL season
| 2017–18 National League season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September 7, 2017 – March 5, 2018 |
| Number of games | 50 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular Season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Swiss champion NLA | |
The 2017-18 National League season is the 80th season of Swiss professional ice hockey and the first season as the National League (NL). The change from National League A to National League was made at the end of the 2016-17 season.
SC Bern is the defending champion.
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| HC Ambrì-Piotta | Ambrì | Valascia | 6,500 |
| SC Bern | Bern | PostFinance-Arena | 17,031 |
| EHC Biel | Biel/Bienne | Tissot Arena | 6,521 |
| HC Davos | Davos | Vaillant Arena | 6,800 |
| Fribourg-Gottéron | Fribourg | BCF Arena | 6,500 |
| Genève-Servette HC | Geneva | Patinoire des Vernets | 7,135 |
| EHC Kloten | Kloten | Swiss Arena | 7,719 |
| Lausanne HC | Lausanne | Temporary Arena | 6,700 |
| HC Lugano | Lugano | Pista La Resega | 7,800 |
| SCL Tigers | Langnau im Emmental | Ilfis Stadium | 6,000 |
| ZSC Lions | Zürich | Hallenstadion | 11,200 |
| EV Zug | Zug | Bossard Arena | 7,200 |
Coaching changes
Offseason
Luca Cereda replaced Gordie Dwyer as head coach of HC Ambrì-Piotta for the 2017-18 season.[1]
Mark French took over the helm of HC Fribourg-Gottéron for the 2017-18 season, replacing Larry Huras.[2]
Craig Woodcroft was named head coach of Genève-Servette HC after Chris McSorley stepped down of the position and was named General Manager of the team.[3]
Arenas
HC Davos' Vaillant Arena is set to undergo major renovation at the end of the season to upgrade most of the stands, the concourse and the locker rooms. The total capacity will not change and renovation will cost about CHF 22 million.[4]
HC Fribourg-Gottéron's plans to rebuild the BCF Arena at the end of the 2016-17 season were postponed to after the current season. Construction which will cost about CHF 70 million will start in the summer of 2018 and the arena's capacity will be increased from 6,500 to 8,500.[5]
The Patinoire des Vernets in Geneva underwent minor renovation prior to the start of the season. The VIP area was expanded to add an additional 170 seats and standing room on the north side was brought closer to the ice rink.[6]
This is Lausanne HC's first of two seasons playing in a temporary arena. The arena will seat 6,700 people and cost CHF 11 million for the two seasons.[7] The new arena will be ready for the 2019/20 season with a seating capacity of 10,000.
Due to popular demand, EV Zug had to increase the Bossard Arena's total capacity to 7,200. These seats are located against the boards, next to the penalty boxes and at ice level.[8]
References
- ↑ "Confirmed - Luca Cereda is HC Ambri-Piotta's new head coach". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
- ↑ "Mark French takes over behind HC Fribourg-Gottéron's bench". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
- ↑ "It is Craig Woodcroft after all - GSHC signs new head coach". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
- ↑ "Davos presents final project on reconstruction of the Vaillant Arena". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "A loss of almost CHF 130,000 for Gottéron in the 2016-17 season". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "The city of Geneva provides the Vernets with 170 additional seats". tdg.ch (in French). 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "Capacity of 6,700 spectators for Lausanne HC's provisional rink, but no guest sector". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "EV Zug enlarges the Bossard Arena and installs new boards". swisshockeynews.ch. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
External links
- Official website (in German)
- Official website (in French)
Template:NL seasons