Switzerland’s Loris Grandchamp knows it will be a huge task as they seek to find some of their Leuven form next weekend in Heidelberg at the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship.
The 22-year-old scored an historic winner for the Swiss in 2024 as his side beat Germany for the very first time in a 6-5 thriller. They ultimately ended in sixth place, just missing out on a World Cup spot which, in turn, meant a two-year hiatus in international fixtures for the side.
Their group is an exceedingly tough one, featuring four of the top six from the 2024 Euros with hosts Germany, Belgium and Spain lying in wait.
The Spanish were their nemesis in Leuven with two wins while Belgium went on to take bronze. Nonetheless, Grandchamp has been able to get a strong insight into the Indoor Red Lions having played in the Belgian competition with Orée.
He offers an interesting perspective on contrasting styles. “Belgium likes to create play with the ball, find easy solutions that look good, and maybe press less. In Switzerland, we have an indoor culture closer to Germany or Czechia – more structured and physical.
“The local season only lasts two months so many sides don’t have as much preparation time but they do show some really different pieces of skill.”
He does hail Royal Léopold for their incredible development over the past few years, a key part of which has been Philippe Simar’s incredible goalscoring.
Again, Grandchamp was the inside track: “It’s funny because I play with him outdoors with Orée. He’s incredible when he gets the ball in the D, can shoot from every angle and score goals.
“If you cut the passes to him, you can break a lot of their play. And we have to watch his penalty corners – they’re really good!”
As for the Swiss preparations, the lengthy time out has meant a certain bit of re-learning to do.
Grandchamp admits their warm-up series have seen the side take a bit of time to get to know each other.
“We already had some preparation in Hamburg at the start of the season,” Grandchamp explains. “It was pretty good. Then we played between Christmas and New Year in Spain. That was also pretty good with some good stuff, but also some less good stuff, let’s say.”
They finished off their Röhrmax Cup with a fourth place finish, beating USA but losing to Croatia in the group stages.
“The results were not that good but we know we just have to play our game. If we play with hunger and put everything together, we know that we can play better when we put everything together in Heidelberg.”
One advantage for Switzerland is the continuity within the squad. Nine of the players who featured in 2024 remain in the lineup, offering familiarity and cohesion while one of the players coming back in – Yves Morard – is a crucial figure.
“Because we didn’t play for two years, it’s normal that not everything goes perfectly straightaway and click easily but, this year, everyone’s calendar is the same and that is a strength for us.”
It means Yves can join his brother Michel in the side, marking a key axis in the team.
“The brothers know each other perfectly,” Grandchamp says. “They have a good connection on the field, and you can see it. It wasn’t always easy with their private life to be both at the same time with the national team. That’s really cool and will help us for our game.”
It also gives Grandchamp an even wider leadership group. He is captain of the side – taking on the role from Fabio Marelli who is now team manager – despite being the youngest player in the line-up – he took on the armband two years ago when Boris Stomps and Yves Morard were on a break.
Their return means there are plenty of strong voices to lean on.
“Now we have a lot of experience, and I still have the armband, but I don’t feel like the most experienced. It’s more of a shared leadership.
“In indoor, you’re only 12, so it’s way easier than outdoor to speak with everybody and have a conversation with the whole team. That’s a big difference.”
Two years ago, Switzerland made headlines by defeating Germany for the first time—a landmark moment for Swiss hockey and it is those moments they are looking to emulate.
“For us, the Germans are the biggest country in the world for indoor hockey,” he says. “They always have a crazy team. Winning against them was crazy. It’s not something that happens often.”
While it ultimately did not secure a top four spot, the significance was immense. “The feeling was really good to win. It’s not something that’s going to happen so often, to be honest.
“Our goal is to do better than two years ago. The group is tough but if we focus on our game and evolve from one match to another, we can surprise. The first target is to get ahead of Ireland and have more points than them. Then we’ll see what happens.”
Switzerland men’s squad
| Number | Player Name | Club | Caps | Goals |
| 9 | Mika Conrad | Rotweiss Wettingen | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Loris Grandchamp (C) | Royal Orée | 6 | 7 |
| 11 | Elias Brönnimann | Basler Hockey Club | 12 | 9 |
| 13 | Yves Morard | Rotweiss Wettingen | 24 | 36 |
| 14 | Boris Stomps | Basler Hockey Club | 25 | 22 |
| 15 | Michel Morard | Rotweiss Wettingen | 28 | 9 |
| 16 | Fabio Reinhard | UHC Hamburg | 12 | 4 |
| 18 | Lorenz Gassner | HC Olten | 25 | 5 |
| 23 | Bastian Thoma | Basler Hockey Club | 6 | 0 |
| 28 | Lukas Hengartner | HC Olten | 6 | 2 |
| 30 | Timo Bütler (GK) | Luzerner SC | 5 | 0 |
| 31 | Laurent Rogger (GK) | HC Olten | 8 | 0 |
