Photo: @NHL

The Swiss National team will be holding a prospect camp this week in order to prepare for upcoming international play. The camp, which begins this Sunday in Cham, will include five Swiss NHL players: Nico Hischier, Philipp Kurashev, Denis Malgin, former Capital Jonas Siegenthaler and Capitals prospect Damien Riat.

The NHL players are using the camp to begin conditioning and preparations ahead of the NHL-Season. Coach Patrick Fischer said “These type of players, from the best league in the world, joining our team to get some individual preparation, shows their commitment to the national team and the value of the prospect camp.”

The prospect camp will take place from July 25 to 29 and will include six training sessions as well as two internal test matches. The current roster:

Goalies (3): Luca Hollenstein (EV Zug), Akira Schmid (Organisation New Jersey Devils/NHL), Philip Wüthrich (SC Bern)

Defensemen (9): Tim Berni (Organisation Columbus Blue Jackets/NHL), Dominik Egli (HC Davos), Nico Gross (EV Zug), Oliver Heinen (HC Davos), Mika Henauer (SC Bern), Roger Karrer (Genève-Servette HC), Elia Riva (HC Lugano), Livio Stadler (EV Zug), Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils)

Forwards (16): Nando Eggenberger (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers), Yannick Frehner (HC Davos), André Heim (HC Ambrì-Piotta), Marco Lehmann (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers), Sven Leuenberger (EV Zug), Marco Miranda (Genève-Servette HC), Valentin Nussbaumer (HC Davos), Raphael Prassl (HC Davos), Sandro Schmid (HC Fribourg-Gottéron), Justin Sigrist (ZSC Lions), Axel Simic (HC Davos), Yannick Zehnder (EV Zug), Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils), Philipp Kurashev (Chicago Blackhawks), Denis Malgin (Toronto Maple Leafs), Damien Riat (Washington Capitals)

Damien Riat shows off the wheels, gives Bears a 2-1 lead midway through third period. #CapsProspect #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/5VsMDx0ILL

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) February 18, 2021

Riat shed some light on his preparations and planning for the upcoming season in an interview at the beginning of June. “I will resume summer training in a few weeks in Lausanne with the structure specified by my agent and it will start again, like every year, with ice time at the vallée de Joux. I don’t have the dates but I think I’ll go back to the United States in September.”

By Jon Sorensen