In the past weeks, a handful of countries have announced their hockey rosters for the upcoming Olympic Games in Milan, one of them being Switzerland. Their team is dynamic in having both strong NHL players and career European players, and their goalies are no different. We would like to highlight the Swiss’ goalies as being some great picks and an incredibly interesting watch this February. All 3 have international experience for their country, so whoever will take the reins of the crease will be determined during the tournament.
As we detail their careers, which of these goalies do you think will be the team’s leader as Switzerland competes for a medal this year?
Reto Berra (Fribourg-Gotteron HC, NL, Switzerland)
Born 1987 (39 years old)
Berra was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the St Louis Blues. He started back to back World Junior Championships for Switzerland, going 2-2-2 with a .910 SV% in 2006 and 3-3 with an .899 SV% in 2007.
He would play six years in the NLA, Switzerland’s top pro division, before being picked up as a backup for the Calgary Flames heading into the 2013/14 season. Berra never truly got a chance, bouncing from Calgary to Colorado after one season, with stints in Florida and Anaheim, all the while going up and down between the AHL and NHL.
Berra would return to the NLA (now NL) in 2018, and has since been a starter for eight seasons. This year he has a .926 SV% and a 1.72 GAA in 28 games. He has 3 World Championship silver medals to his name, an NL championship, and is a 2-time Spengler Cup winner.
Leonardo Genoni (EV Zug, NL, Switzerland)
Born 1987 (38 years old)
Genoni was undrafted to the NHL despite starting two seasons for his country at the IIHF Under 18 World Junior Championships, posting a .918 SV% in 2004 and an astonishing .937 SV% in 2005. After the disappointment of his North American career dissipating, Genoni played three seasons in the NLB (second division) before he would make the jump to Switzerland’s top league.
Genoni’s career ever since has been nothing short of mythical, or legendary. For almost 18 seasons Genoni has been a starting goalie in the NL, an incredible feat. Highlight seasons include his posting a .939 SV% in 50 games in 2010/11, a .936 SV% in 50 games in 2016/17, and a .933 SV% in 43 games in 2018/19. His longevity needs to be studied.
Genoni is a 3 time World Championship silver medalist, a SEVEN time NL champion, a 2 time Spengler Cup winner and in 2025 he was named the World Championship’s Most Valuable Player and Top Goaltender after he went 5-2 with a .953 SV% and 0.99 GAA en route to a silver medal.
Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights)
Born 2000 (25 years old)
As the youngest goaltender on the team by a significant margin, Schmid was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. He played 3 games at the 2019 World Juniors for his country and posted an .879 SV%. It wasn’t until his Draft+2 season as a 20-year-old in the USHL that Schmid’s career picked up some serious momentum; he posted a .921 SV% in 36 games for the Sioux City Musketeers and won Goaltender of the Year.
Akira went straight to the AHL the following season, playing 38 games for the Utica Comets with a .911 SV% and 6 games in the NHL for the Devils, where he would go 0-6. After spending the first half of following season in the AHL, Schmid would get his ellusive first NHL win in an incredible second half with the Devils; he posted a .922 SV% in 18 games as his team made the playoffs, and Schmid would post 2 shutouts in the playoffs as he started 9 games in New Jersey’s two round run.
Though things haven’t gone so smoothly as of late, now in Vegas Schmid’s 14 wins in 24 games shouldn’t be ignored. He also posted a .946 SV% in the 2024 World Championships, winning 3 games.
Who do you think starts game one of the Olympics for the Swiss this year? Let us know below!