ZSC Lions

Swiss professional hockey team

ZSC Lions

City| Zürich, Switzerland
League| National League
Founded| 1930
Home arena| Swiss Life Arena
Colors|
Owner(s)| Sven Kunz
General manager| Sven Leuenberger
Head coach| Marco Bayer
Captain| Patrick Geering
Affiliate| GCK Lions
Website| www.zsclions.ch
Franchise history
1930–1997| Zürcher SC
1997–present| ZSC Lions
Current season

The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their 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.[1] Between 1950 and 2022 they played at the Hallenstadion.

## History

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ZSC Lions were 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 were 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.[2]

ZSC was the first Swiss team to play in an indoor arena (Hallenstadion). They won the Swiss championship in the years 1936, 1949 and 1961 and the prestigious 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 moreover won the IIHF Continental Cup in 2001 and 2002.

### Champions Hockey League and Victoria Cup

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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, they were 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 their defeats of the Finnish Espoo Blues, 6–3 and 4–1 respectively, they 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.[3] 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 their 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 their home arena, the Lions upset the Blackhawks with a 2–1 victory, winning the trophy.[4] It was the first time since 1991 that the Blackhawks had lost to a club in Europe.

## Honors

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* Swiss Champions (11): 1936, 1949, 1961, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2024, 2025
* Victoria Cup (1): 2009
* Champions Hockey League (2): 2009 (Silver Stone trophy), 2025
* IIHF Continental Cup (2): 2001, 2002
* Swiss Cup (3): 1960, 1961, 2016
* Spengler Cup (2): 1944, 1945

## Players

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### Current roster

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Updated 19 August 2024

No. | Nat | Player  | Pos | S/G | Age  | Acquired  | Birthplace

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

10 |  | Sven Andrighetto | RW | L  | 32  | 2020 | Sumiswald, Switzerland
18 |  | Nicolas Baechler | W | L  | 21  | 2023 | Illnau-Effretikon, Switzerland
38 |  | Rūdolfs Balcers | LW | L  | 28  | 2023 | Liepāja, Latvia
14 |  | Chris Baltisberger | RW | R  | 33  | 2012 | Zofingen, Switzerland
77 |  | Timo Bünzli | D | L  | 20  | 2024 | Zurich, Switzerland
28 |  | Jesper Frödén | RW | R  | 30  | 2023 | Stockholm, Sweden
4 |  | Patrick Geering (C) | D | L  | 35  | 2008 | Zurich, Switzerland
70 |  | Marlon Graf | W | R  | 22  | 2023 | Wettingen, Switzerland
27 |  | Derek Grant | C | L  | 35  | 2023 | Abbotsford, Canada
7 |  | Joel Henry | C | L  | 22  | 2024 | Münsterlingen, Switzerland
91 |  | Denis Hollenstein (A)  | LW | L  | 35  | 2018 | Mosnang, Switzerland
30 |  | Šimon Hrubec | G | L  | 33  | 2022 | Vimperk, Czech Republic
72 |  | Santtu Kinnunen | D | R  | 26  | 2024 | Lahti, Finland
46 |  | Dean Kukan | D | L  | 31  | 2022 | Volketswil, Switzerland
83 |  | Juho Lammikko | C | L  | 29  | 2022 | Noormarkku, Finland
44 |  | Mikko Lehtonen | D | L  | 31  | 2022 | Turku, Finland
62 |  | Denis Malgin (A) | C | R  | 28  | 2023 | Olten, Switzerland
54 |  | Christian Marti | D | L  | 32  | 2016 | Bülach, Switzerland
8 |  | Willy Riedl | W | L  | 27  | 2021 | Dielsdorf, Switzerland
9 |  | Vinzenz Rohrer | C | R  | 20  | 2023 | Rankweil, Austria
33 |  | Jan Schwendeler | D | L  | 21  | 2024 | Zug, Switzerland
13 |  | Justin Sigrist | C | L  | 26  | 2019 | Hombrechtikon, Switzerland
86 |  | Dario Trutmann | D | R  | 32  | 2019 | Zug, Switzerland
29 |  | Daniil Ustinkov | D | L  | 18  | 2024 | Zurich, Switzerland
6 |  | Yannick Weber | D | R  | 36  | 2021 | Morges, Switzerland
12 |  | Yannick Zehnder | C | L  | 27  | 2023 | Zug, Switzerland
40 |  | Robin Zumbühl | G | L  | 26  | 2024 | Urdorf, Switzerland

## References

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1. ^ "1930 bis heute | ZSC Lions". www.zsclions.ch. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
2. ^ "ZSC-Lions Brochure" (PDF) (in German). zsclions.ch. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
3. ^ "Game Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-01-21.
4. ^ "Blackhawks suffer first loss to European club since '91". ESPN.com. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2011-08-12.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to ZSC Lions.

* ZSC Lions official website (in German)

* v
* t
* e

National League

Teams|

* HC Ajoie
* HC Ambrì-Piotta
* SC Bern
* EHC Biel
* HC Davos
* HC Fribourg-Gottéron
* Genève-Servette HC
* EHC Kloten
* Lausanne HC
* HC Lugano
* SCL Tigers
* SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
* EV Zug
* ZSC Lions

Related topics|

* List of National League (ice hockey) seasons
* Swiss League
* 1\. Liga
* Spengler Cup
* Ice hockey in Switzerland

* See also: IIHF
* IIHF Continental Cup
* IIHF European Champions Cup
* Champions Hockey League

* v
* t
* e

Champions Hockey League

Seasons|

* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25
* 2025–26

Related|

* Champions Hockey League (2008–09)
* European Trophy (2010–2013)

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

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