ZURICH – After three years with SC Bern, Swiss national player Patrik Bärtschi has returned to his native region Zurich where he joined European club champion ZSC Lions Zurich.

Bärtschi is one of the few new faces in the team that will play for the Victoria Cup against the Chicago Blackhawks. He comes to Zurich as one of the most efficient Swiss forwards SC Bern had last year.

In Zurich he joins a team whose season ended in the same way as for Bern: losing the quarterfinals as a favourite.

“If you are not able to react quickly in the playoffs, it can go very fast,” said Bärtschi. “The worst thing for an athlete is that it happened twice in a row. But the league has become more balanced. The last two champions were fourth and sixth in the regular season.”

The 24-year-old looks forward to the new season. “It’s a new challenge. You join a new club and you don’t know where you are at. You have to fight for your position in the team,” Bärtschi explains. “That’s the stimulus for athletes.”

Right now, Bärtschi is preparing for the season with training for strength, speed and balance. And he also watched a Chicago Blackhawks playoff game on TV to get an idea of the next opponent. “There are some well-known players but they will have some changes and I don’t think about the Victoria Cup yet. After the season I need two months to calm down,” Bärtschi said. It includes also more pleasant aspects of the off-season like trips to Sardinia, Berlin and the Black Forest.

Bärtschi hails from the local rival Kloten Flyers, where his father Urs and his brother Deny played too, and where he was part of a group of talented 1984-born youngsters who led Switzerland to a sensational silver medal at the 2001 World U18 Championship. He was one of the most notable players on the team.

“That was my career highlight along with the final with SC Bern,” Bärtschi said. “We were together as a team for three years and the coach told us at the beginning that we would win a medal. It was impressive to play against guys like Ilya Kovalchuk, Mikko Koivu or Jiri Hudler. Also playing in the (senior) World Championship is something very special.”

Bärtschi’s career was on an upward slope until 2004. “I was drafted late and told myself that I just have to work on myself. After that I had my breakthrough in the National League A, I was scoring leader at the World U20 Championship and I played my first World Championship. Also the interest from the NHL was there,” Bärtschi remembers.

But suddenly, it became clear that Bärtschi, same as other Kloten youngsters, suffered a hip injury. “After everything had gone so well, the doctors told me at age 19 that they’re not sure if I would ever be able to play professional hockey again. That opened my eyes,” said Bärtschi. “I was told it was an overload during adolescent that caused the injury.”

He was sidelined for several months after a surgery before he had his comeback with the Kloten Flyers but decided to go to Berne in 2006.

“For the first time I was away from my environment but it was clear to me that I would return sooner or later,” said Bärtschi, who signed a multi-year contract with Zurich. “It is also not a problem for me to play here. My time in Kloten has been over for a while.”

Bärtschi will be the only player who participated in the inaugural Victoria Cup event last year, when SC Bern played the exhibition game against the New York Rangers, a game that was clearly won by the Americans, 8-1. And with Bärtschi, who stood on the ice during one goal only – Bern’s goal.

“At the beginning it was surreal. You’re on the ice and you see that team you usually just see on TV. It’s different than playing against those players with the national team, after all they’re the famous New York Rangers,” Bärtschi tells about his experience. “From the World Championships I was used to play against guys like those but it was a special experience even though the score was hefty.

“There was potential for more but it’s already a huge difference between an NLA club and the Swiss national team. The puck moves faster, you have to pass and shoot directly. On the smaller rink you better learn the fast play. According to me, we should play on the smaller rinks in Switzerland, it makes the game more intense, faster, you’re always in a good position to shoot. The 2008 World Championship in Canada I enjoyed the most but maybe it’s also because I played more than before.”

Bärtschi is not only motivated to be stronger with his club but he is also fighting for his position in the national team. After a concussion during the last playoffs, Bärtschi was able to join the training camp of the Swiss World Championship team but was cut in the last moment.

“Of course that was a big disappointment. I would have loved to conclude the season with the World Championship, it’s an honour to represent Switzerland,” he says.

For the Olympics it could be even tougher to make the roster. Bärtschi is among 39 candidates who have played at World Championships in the recent years. And there could be new candidates joining the team like NHL rookie Luca Sbisa and recently naturalized Lugano forward Hnat Domenichelli.

“I definitely believe that I have a chance, especially after my performance at the 2008 Worlds. So I want to use it,” the hopeful said. “I must show a good performance with the club, and to give everything. Then it will be the coach, who will decide.”

The Lions will spend the pre-season in Switzerland and at a tournament in Salzburg, Austria. They will open the season at home against reigning champion HC Davos on September 11.

The ZSC Lions Zurich will play for the Victoria Cup on September 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks in their home arena, Hallenstadion. At the same venue, HC Davos will play an exhibition game against the Blackhawks on September 28. Click here for more information and tickets.

MARTIN MERK