Preds draft pick Josi called to Swiss national team
Roman Josi (right), a second-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators last year, was selected for the Swiss national team for the first time, one of 24 players called into action by national team coach (and Winnipeg-born) Ralph Krueger. Switzerland will play three friendly games in the first week of February: Feb. 4 against Belarus in Geneva and a pair against Slovakia on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7 in Sierre and Gstaad, respectively. The Gstaad game will be played outdoors, Winter Classic-style.
The 18-year old, who plays his club hockey for SC Bern, was named the best defender at the recent Under-20 Division I World Championships (whose Web site, for whatever reason, was never translated into English and does not appear to have been updated much in German either). Hockeysfuture.com has Josi as the 11th-best prospect in the Preds system and fifth-best defenseman. This season, he has 22 points (seven goals) in 35 National League A games for SCB and one goal and three assists in four Champions Hockey League games.
Josi has spent his entire young career at Bern, making his debut for the first team in 2007. With his contract reportedly due to expire this spring, is a move to North America in the cards? Or will the nearly-destitute Preds offer him to the highest bidder? Either way, Josi is one for us to keep an eye on.
The complete Switzerland roster for the three games:
Goalies: Leonardo Genoni (HC Davos), Ronnie Rüeger (Kloten Flyers)
Defensemen: Goran Bezina (Genève-Servette), Félicien Du Bois (Kloten), Philippe Furrer (SC Bern), Beat Gerber (Bern), John Gobbi (Genève-Servette), Timo Helbling (HC Lugano), Roman Josi (Bern), Patrick von Gunten (Kloten).
Forwards: Andres Ambühl (Davos), Duri Camichel (EV Zug), Thomas Déruns (Genève-Servette), Peter Guggisberg (Davos), Sandy Jeannin (Fribourg-Gottéron), Romano Lemm (Lugano), Thierry Paterlini (Lugano), Emanuel Peter (Biel), Martin Plüss (Bern), Kevin Romy (Lugano), Ivo Rüthemann (Bern), Raffaele Sannitz (Lugano), Julien Sprunger (Fribourg-Gottéron), Roman Wick (Kloten).
