Sven Bärtschi

Sven Bärtschi (sometimes spelled: Baertschi;[1] born 5 October 1992) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey forward. He played his first professional games in 2009 for SC Langenthal in the National League B before moving to North America to join Portland in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he finished as the runner-up for the league's Rookie of the Year award. He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round, 13th overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut in 2012.

Sven Bärtschi
Bärtschi with the Calgary Flames in 2012
Born (1992-10-05) 5 October 1992
Bern, Switzerland
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Calgary Flames
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
SC Bern
National team   Switzerland
NHL Draft 13th overall, 2011
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2008–2023

Playing career
Bärtschi with the Portland Winterhawks in 2011.

Bärtschi began his professional career in 2009–10 for SC Langenthal in the Swiss National League B and was pursued by SC Bern of the National League A.[2] He chose instead to move to North America to pursue an NHL career.[3] He was selected by the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Portland Winterhawks seventh overall in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League import draft.[4] Bärtschi led all WHL rookies in 2010–11 with 34 goals and 85 points,[5] and finished as the runner-up to Mathew Dumba for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.[6]

Heading into the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Bärtschi was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the seventh best North American based skater,[7] and was selected 13th overall by the Calgary Flames. The team quickly signed him to a three-year entry level contract US$1.45 million per season, including bonuses.[8] He attended the team's training camp that fall, but was returned to Portland for the 2011–12 WHL season.[9] Bärtschi was among the league's leaders offensively, averaging 2.00 points per game (94 points in 47 games) and was named WHL player of the week three times.[10] His teammates named him Portland's most valuable player, and he was named to the WHL's Western Conference second all-star team.[11]

Due to a number of injuries in Calgary, the Flames recalled Bärtschi on an emergency basis on 7 March. He made his NHL debut on 9 March in a 5–3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets[12] He scored his first goal two nights later against Matt Hackett of the Minnesota Wild.[13] Bärtschi added goals in his following two games and quickly became a fan favourite in Calgary. He appeared in a total of five NHL games and scored three goals before returning players necessitated his return to Portland.[14] Bärtschi was the top scorer of the 2012 WHL playoffs, recording 34 points in 22 games, to lead Portland to their second consecutive appearance in the league championship series. They again lost, falling in seven games to the Edmonton Oil Kings.[15]

Bärtschi turned professional in 2012–13, and due to an NHL labour dispute, began the season with Calgary's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. He had 17 points in his first 19 games with the Heat before suffering a neck injury that caused him to miss five weeks of the season, a total of 13 games.[16]

On 2 March 2015, the Calgary Flames traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vancouver's 2nd-round draft pick in 2015. Bärtschi had demanded to be traded from the Calgary Flames.[17] Bärtschi made his Canucks debut on 4 April 2015, against the Winnipeg Jets. He initially wore #42 with the Canucks, but changed his number to 47 when the Canucks took on the Arizona Coyotes on 9 April 2015. On 11 April 2015, Sven Bärtschi scored his first and second goals as a Canuck against the Edmonton Oilers.[18] On 28 July 2015, Bärtschi re-signed with the Canucks to a one-year, one-way contract.[19] Bärtschi had a successful season with the Canucks, posting career-highs with 15 goals and 28 points.

On 16 June 2016, Bärtschi re-signed with Vancouver on a 2-year, $3.7 million contract.[20][21] On 1 July 2018, Bärtschi was signed by the Canucks to a three-year contract extension worth $10.1 million.[22] Bärtschi missed 56 games during the 2018–19 NHL season due to suffering from post-concussion syndrome. He was previously checked in the head by Vegas Golden Knights player Tomas Hyka during a game on 24 October 2018.[23]

On 30 September 2019, Bärtschi was placed on waivers by the Canucks, prior to the start of the 2019–20 NHL season. He cleared waivers the next day.[24]

Following his seventh year within the Canucks organization and not featuring at the NHL level for the 2020–21 season, Bärtschi left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on 28 July 2021.[25]

After spending most of the 2021–22 season with Vegas's farm team, the Henderson Silver Knights, Bärtschi returned home to play in Switzerland by signing a three-year deal with SC Bern of the NL.[26] After an unsuccessful first year back in Switzerland, Bärtschi officially retired from professional hockey on 2 August 2023.[27]

International play

Bärtschi has played with the Swiss national junior team on four occasions. He played in the Under-18 world championship in 2009 and 2010, scoring a goal and two assists in both tournaments for Swiss teams that finished in 8th and 5th place respectively. He then appeared with the under-20 team at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, scoring a goal and an assist in another fifth-place finish.[28] He returned for the 2012 tournament, but appeared in only two games before suffering a concussion that forced him out of the event.[29]

Personal life

Bärtschi was born and raised in Langenthal, Switzerland.[30] His father was also a professional hockey player who played in the National League A.[3] His parents divorced when he was 11, after which his mother worked two jobs to allow him and his brother to play hockey.[31]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 SC Langenthal SUI U17 23 34 38 72 26 — — — — —
2007–08 SC Langenthal SUI U17 17 16 22 38 22 — — — — —
2007–08 SC Langenthal SUI U20 18 3 3 6 4 — — — — —
2008–09 SC Langenthal SUI U17 3 4 4 8 0 — — — — —
2008–09 SC Langenthal SUI U20 37 21 32 53 40 — — — — —
2008–09 SC Langenthal NLB 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2009–10 SC Langenthal SUI.2 U20 2 3 0 3 2 — — — — —
2009–10 SC Langenthal NLB 37 6 6 12 8 7 0 3 3 4
2009–10 EV Zug SUI U20 9 10 13 23 4 2 3 1 4 2
2010–11 Portland Winterhawks WHL 66 34 51 85 74 21 10 17 27 16
2011–12 Portland Winterhawks WHL 47 33 61 94 35 22 14 20 34 10
2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 5 3 0 3 4 — — — — —
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 32 10 16 26 16 — — — — —
2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 20 3 7 10 6 — — — — —
2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 26 2 9 11 6 — — — — —
2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 41 13 16 29 18 4 0 1 1 6
2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 36 8 17 25 6 — — — — —
2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 15 0 4 4 6 — — — — —
2014–15 Utica Comets AHL 15 7 8 15 4 21 8 7 15 6
2014–15 Vancouver Canucks NHL 3 2 0 2 4 2 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Vancouver Canucks NHL 6915132814 — — — — —
2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 68 18 17 35 8 — — — — —
2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5314152920 — — — — —
2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 26 9 5 14 6 — — — — —
2019–20 Utica Comets AHL 43 13 33 46 20 — — — — —
2019–20 Vancouver Canucks NHL 6 0 2 2 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Utica Comets AHL 24 5 9 14 10 — — — — —
2021–22 Henderson Silver Knights AHL 44 15 13 28 6 2 1 0 1 0
2021–22 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 SC Bern NL 36 4 10 14 6 — — — — —
NHL totals 292667213878 20000

International
Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2009 Switzerland U18 8th 6 1 2 3 2
2010 Switzerland U18 5th 6 1 2 3 2
2011 Switzerland WJC 5th 6 1 1 2 4
2012 Switzerland WJC 8th 2 0 0 0 0
2014 Switzerland WC 10th 1 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 20 3 5 8 8
Senior totals 1 0 0 0 0

Awards and honours
Award Year
WHL
West Second All-Star Team 2011–12 [11]

References
  1. "Bartschi vs. Baertschi". The Hockey News: 12. 5 December 2011. ISSN 0018-3016.
  2. Germann, Daniel (5 December 2010). "Widerstand im guten Land". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  3. "Junger Langenthaler auf den Spuren Niederreiters". Berner Zeitung (in German). 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  4. Flett, Cory; Watts, Jessie, eds. (2011). 2011–12 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 223.
  5. Flett, Cory; Watts, Jessie, eds. (2011). 2011–12 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 149.
  6. Meachem, Greg (5 May 2011). "Matt Dumba named top WHL rookie". Red Deer Advocate. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. "2011 NHL Entry Draft final rankings". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  8. MacFarlane, Steve (6 July 2011). "Three-year Flames contract for draftee Baertschi". QMI Agency. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  9. Busby, Ian (7 March 2012). "Flames recall top junior prospect". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  10. "Flames recall Sven Baertschi from Portland". Calgary Flames Hockey Club. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  11. "Joe Morrow, Ty Rattie make WHL all-star team; Sven Bartschi named to second team". Portland Tribune. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  12. Cruickshank, Scott (10 March 2012). "Flames' offence on fire as club grounds Jets". Calgary Herald. p. E1.
  13. "Flames 4, Wild 3". ESPN. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  14. MacFarlane, Steve (18 March 2012). "Parting such sweet sorrow". Calgary Sun. p. S3.
  15. Sportak, Randy (15 May 2012). "No hard feelings". Calgary Sun. p. S3.
  16. Sportak, Randy (5 January 2013). "Baertschi back for AHL Heat". Calgary Sun. p. S5.
  17. The Canadian Press (2 March 2015). "Canucks acquire Sven Baertschi in trade with Flames". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  18. "Edler scores in OT, Canucks edge Oilers 6-5". yorkregion.com. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  19. "Canucks sign forward Baertschi to one-year contract". nhl.com. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  20. "Baertschi signs two-year contract with Canucks". nhl.com. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  21. "Canucks sign Sven Baertschi to two-year extension". sportsnet.ca. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  22. "Canucks re-sign Sven Baertschi to 3-year deal". sportsnet.ca. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  23. Johnson, Patrick (9 February 2019). "Canucks injury update: Sven Baertschi diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  24. "Canucks reduce pre-season roster". nhl.com. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  25. "Golden Knights announce roster transactions". Vegas Golden Knights. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  26. "Sven Bartschi signs in Switzerland". prohockeyrumors.com. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  27. Beaud, Grégory (2 August 2023). "SCB-Star Sven Bärtschi beendet seine Karriere" [SCB star Sven Bärtschi ends his career] (in German). Blick. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  28. Podnieks, Andrew, ed. (2011). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2012. International Ice Hockey Federation. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
  29. "Switzerland star Baertschi has 'light concussion' Flames prospect was injured in Wednesday shootout loss to Sweden". Calgary Herald. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  30. Merk, Martin (2 January 2011). "Switzerland's next Nino?". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  31. Stewart-Binks, Julie (25 June 2011). "Bartschi excited for NHL opportunity". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
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