We are talking to both farm teams and other interested parties,” Jean Brogle, executive chairman of the board of directors of the Swiss League, tells Zentralplus. “The discussions are open-ended within the framework of the reform that is currently underway in Swiss ice hockey.”
According to Zentralplus, Brogle is in talks with Basel and Arosa. Apparently, there are also rumors that the Swiss League would even be willing to invite foreign teams into the league.
The EVZ Academy and the HCB Ticino Rockets were not invited to the assembly for the new league back in December. The GCK Lions, another farm team, on the other hand, were part of the proceedings.
That, however, is something EV Zug's Patrick Lengwiler is not happy about: "The GCK Lions are also not an independent organization, and their competitiveness [...] is comparable to ours. We don't begrudge the GCK Lions for being a founding member - but for us, the distinction between them and the Ticino Rockets and EVZ Academy is arbitrary."
Lengwiler also adds that they would be able to match what the GCK Lions bring to the table, but in order for them to do so, they would have to know what criteria they have to fulfill: "We have not received an answer to this day."
Lenngwiler and his team are, however, already looking at alternative, if the EVZ Academy will indeed no longer be able to be part of the Swiss League as of the 2022-23 season.
