The Swiss national team isn’t budging on its stance regarding Lian Bichsel’s spot on the Olympic roster.
The team released a statement Thursday doubling down on a previous decision to ban the Dallas Stars defenseman from international competition until summer 2026. That ban will prevent Bichsel from playing for Team Switzerland in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan in February.
The Swiss national team banned him from representing them until after the 2026 IIFH World Championships after Bichsel declined an invitation to play for Switzerland at the Under-20 World Championships back in 2023.
The exact reason why Bichsel declined the invitation is unclear, but Bichsel broke his ankle during a game in May 2023 that was in preparation for the World Championships and required surgery to repair it. The World Championships were just seven months later.
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The same month Bichsel declined to participate, he exercised the European Assignment clause in his contract and left the Texas Stars to join Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League and continue his development closer to home.
“We have proactively addressed the situation surrounding Lian Bichsel on several occasions and proposed solutions,” President of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation Urs Kessler said in a statement translated from German via Google Translate. “The current policy has broad support within the federation leadership, the sports management, the National Team Committee, and the captains’ team, including our NHL players, and we all stand by it.
“The rules apply equally to all players and form the basis for our cooperation and the success of the national team. They provide us with calm, clarity, and continuity, and we are convinced that we will continue to benefit from them. We want a team that plays for Switzerland with commitment, pride, and great passion, as all Swiss national players impressively demonstrate.”
Bichsel is one of just 11 Swiss players in the NHL this year and one of just four defensemen. He would’ve undoubtedly made the roster and been a key contributor had it not been for the ban.
He has already stepped into a larger role for the Stars at just 21 years old, recording three points and averaging 15:53 of ice time in 24 games for Dallas this season. This is Bichsel’s second season with the Stars after he was called up last December.
Bichsel would’ve joined players like Los Angeles’ Kevin Fiala, New Jersey’s Nico Hischier, New Jersey’s Timo Meier, Winnipeg’s Nino Niederreiter and Nashville’s Roman Josi on the Swiss roster.
Many of those players are captains, including Josi, Hischier and Niederreiter, who also released a statement on the decision: “We fully support the jointly defined principles and rules, as well as the resulting decision, which apply equally to all players. These guidelines were developed within the captains’ team and are an important part of our team culture and our success.”
Bichsel declined to comment Friday.
The Stars will still be well-represented in the Olympics.
Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen and Esa Lindell have already been named to the Finnish national team. Roope Hintz is expected to join them. Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson are in the running for Team USA. So is Thomas Harley — and possibly even Wyatt Johnston — for Team Canada. Radek Faksa could also be selected to the Czech Republic’s national team.
The men’s hockey tournament in the Winter Games will take place from Feb. 11-22.
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