The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions is a professional ice hockey team based in Zürich, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL), the highest league in Switzerland. Its home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and played at the Dolder-Kunsteisbahn from its establishment until 1950. Between 1950 and 2022, it played at the Hallenstadion.

History

ZSC Lions was formed in 1997 as a result of the merger of the two local teams: the highly popular Zürcher Schlittschuh Club (German for "Zürich Skating Club"), who was struggling financially in National League A, and the ice hockey section of Grasshopper Club Zürich of the National League B, backed by entrepreneur and billionaire Walter Frey.

ZSC was the first Swiss team to play in an indoor arena (Hallenstadion). The team won the Swiss championship in 1936, 1949 and 1961 and the Spengler Cup in 1944 and 1945. After the merger, the ZSC Lions won the Swiss championship in 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2018, and also won the IIHF Continental Cup in 2001 and 2002.

Champions Hockey League and Victoria Cup

The first overall NHL draft pick (2016) Auston Matthews with the ZSC Lions during the 2015–16 regular season

During the 2008–09 Season, the ZSC Lions participated in the first ever Champions Hockey League. For the group stage, the team was placed in group D with HC Slavia Praha and Linköpings HC. The Lions qualified for the semi-finals with a 3–1 record, first place in the group. With team's wins against the Finnish Espoo Blues, 6–3 and 4–1 respectively, it qualified for the tournament final. The first leg of the final was held on January 21, 2009 in the Magnitogorsk Arena where the Lions came back from a 0–2 deficit to Metallurg Magnitogorsk to end with a 2–2 tie. The second leg was played a week later, on January 28, 2009, in the Diners Club Arena in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. ZSC Lions won the game and the Silver Stone Trophy with a 5–0 victory.

With its victory in the Champions Hockey League, the ZSC Lions qualified to play the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League for the 2009 edition of the Victoria Cup challenge. Playing at home arena, the Lions upset the Blackhawks with a 2–1 victory, winning the trophy. It was the first time since 1991 that the Blackhawks had lost to a club in Europe.

Honors

Players

Current roster

Updated 19 August 2024

No.NatPlayerPosS/GAgeAcquiredBirthplace
10SwitzerlandSven AndrighettoRWL332020Sumiswald, Switzerland
18SwitzerlandNicolas BaechlerWL222023Illnau-Effretikon, Switzerland
38LatviaRūdolfs BalcersLWL292023Liepāja, Latvia
14SwitzerlandChris BaltisbergerRWR342012Zofingen, Switzerland
77SwitzerlandTimo BünzliDL212024Zurich, Switzerland
28SwedenJesper FrödénRWR312023Stockholm, Sweden
4SwitzerlandPatrick Geering (C)DL362008Zurich, Switzerland
70SwitzerlandMarlon GrafWR232023Wettingen, Switzerland
27CanadaDerek GrantCL352023Abbotsford, Canada
7SwitzerlandJoel HenryCL222024Münsterlingen, Switzerland
91SwitzerlandDenis Hollenstein (A)LWL362018Mosnang, Switzerland
30Czech RepublicŠimon HrubecGL342022Vimperk, Czech Republic
72FinlandSanttu KinnunenDR272024Lahti, Finland
46SwitzerlandDean KukanDL322022Volketswil, Switzerland
83FinlandJuho LammikkoCL302022Noormarkku, Finland
44FinlandMikko LehtonenDL322022Turku, Finland
62SwitzerlandDenis Malgin (A)CR292023Olten, Switzerland
54SwitzerlandChristian MartiDL332016Bülach, Switzerland
8SwitzerlandWilly RiedlWL272021Dielsdorf, Switzerland
9AustriaVinzenz RohrerCR212023Rankweil, Austria
33SwitzerlandJan SchwendelerDL222024Zug, Switzerland
13SwitzerlandJustin SigristCL262019Hombrechtikon, Switzerland
86SwitzerlandDario TrutmannDR332019Zug, Switzerland
29SwitzerlandDaniil UstinkovDL192024Zurich, Switzerland
6SwitzerlandYannick WeberDR372021Morges, Switzerland
12SwitzerlandYannick ZehnderCL282023Zug, Switzerland
40SwitzerlandRobin ZumbühlGL272024Urdorf, Switzerland

External links

  • (in German)