The way was paved for Eggenberger, who was born on 7 October 1999. He has already played for Minis (now U15) in the 2010/11 season, and on 2 January 2016 he made his top league debut at HC Davos. A day after his 17th birthday, he scored his first goal in the NLA at that time. He was traded as the next Nino Niedreiter, after all, he also comes from Chur and is the same size as today (1.88). So the comparison made itself felt.

In 2018, Eggenberger moved to Canada, where he played for the junior team Oshawa Generals. Although he scored 30 goals in 74 games, he was not considered in the NHL draft – “the NHL will always be my target”. After this disappointment, Eggenberger decided to return to HCD, as Christian Wohlwend was a new member of the Graubünden gang, under whom he had captained the team at the previous two U20 World Championships. “I thought it was perfect for me,” Eggenberger said in an interview with Keystone-SDA news agency.

Season 2019/20 – A Nightmare

Wohlwend also appointed the power striker as assistant captain. But disillusionment followed. Eggenberger did not score a point in 20 games for Davos and even went on to play four games for the Biasca Ticino Rockets in the Swiss league. “Since it didn’t go well in the beginning, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” says Eggenberger. “It was an extremely difficult time. I was young then and it made me worry even more. I couldn’t sleep well, dreamed it that night. It was all about my insufficient performance. Maybe I’m not confident Got what I needed.”

However, he does not want the last sentence to be interpreted as a reprimand for Wohlwend. “It was up to me.” As a result of the crisis, he moved to the Rappersville-Jonah Lakers in late December 2019. Although things did not go as expected at St. Gallen at first and he only scored one goal in 19 appearances that season, he is now one of the top performers at the Lakers. In the current championship, he is the team’s second-best scorer behind the excellent Roman Cervenka (10/20) with nine goals and seven assists in 23 games.

passion paid off

Was it too easy for him as a junior? “Yes, of course. I always played with older guys and so was always in a position where I had nothing to lose. I was always the guy. When that changed, I didn’t get as much protection, I had to learn Had to figure out how to do it in order to deal with what I managed very well.” Did they get help from a psychic coach? “I went to someone, listened to the whole thing, but I just didn’t feel right at the moment. I knew I had to find my own way out of this hole,” says Eggenberger.

However, he never gave any thought to how the whole thing should be: “In my life, ice hockey plays the most important role, I wouldn’t give it up. Rather, I did everything I could every day. That was the only way.” ” It also helped that he completed the top game RS in 2020. Since Magalingen has ideal conditions for training, he also prepared for this season there. “he paid twice”.

So now Eggenberger is part of the national team for the first time. The nomination came as a surprise to him, as the Winter Games will be held in Beijing in February. “So I had a feeling they were only taking the best with them and this season would be difficult.” His international debut was “a great experience” for him, despite a 7–1 loss against Slovakia. Compared to the National League, the game is played a bit faster, more precise, and harder. On Saturday, Swiss hosts continue against Germany. “We know what we need to change. It’s important to show feedback,” says Eggenberger.