Top North American Players This Season in the Switzerland's SWHL

Switzerland was the beneficiary of players looking for new opportunities this offseason, with the league boasting better competition than it has seen in years.

Timing is everything in hockey. When Lara Stalder announced she'd be leaving the SDHL to return to Switzerland to help grow the women's game in her home country, little did she, or anyone know, that an influx of available talent would also be looking to land in Switzerland. 

Fast forward a few months, and the SWHL-A looks stronger than it has in any recent season. Moving forward, the league could become a rival for the SDHL in terms of attracting top talent. Following the acquisition of the PHF, European stars including Anna Kilponen and Jenna Suokko jumped to the SWHL, as did another PHF veteran, American Leah Marino. It was a continuation of a trend that saw Theresa Knutson, Fanny Rask, and Jenna Kaila, among others move to the league. 

While European players started a shift toward Switzerland, increased numbers of NCAA and North American products also joined the SWHL. Here's a look at the top North American products who signed in Switzerland this offseason.

Tanner Gates, 23, HC Fribourg-Gottéron - A consistent offensive contributor from the blueline at the NCAA level, Gates finished her five season career with Colgate hitting double digits in points during each campaign. Last year she totalled 17 points in 40 games and was +67 across her career.

Eleri MacKay, 22, HC Fribourg-Gottéron - MacKay, a forward, is one of the top scoring NCAA players headed to Europe this offseason. Playing for Penn State last year as a graduate player, the Wisconsin product had 14 goals and 35 points in 38 games for Penn State.

Skyler Fontaine, 25, ZSC Lions - Entering her second season in Switzerland, it's a wonder Fontaine wasn't lured back to North America with a lucrative contract this season. Fontaine, a defender, scored more than a point per game in her final three NCAA seasons with Northeastern finishing her NCAA career with 170 points in 178 games as a two-time Patty Kazmaier finalist. Last year she won a Swiss title and scored the championship clinching goal. 

Vanessa Schaefer, 18, ZSC Lions - In an intriguing move, Schaefer moved from Delta Hockey Academy in Canada to the ZSC Lions bypassing the NCAA route for the time being. It's a likely move to earn eligibility for Switzerland's national program, but the 18-year-old is a prospect to watch.

Katie Sonntag, 23, HC Davos - Playing four seasons at Union College in the NCAA, Sonntag didn't get a chance to drive offense. That opportunity came via the transfer portal when she landed with Stonehill College last season under the guidance of former Canadian Olympian Tara Watchorn. At Stonehill, Sonntag finished third in team scoring recording 20 points in 31 games. She'll look to build on that and continue her development in Switzerland this season.

Theresa Knutson, 27, HC Ambrì-Piotta - Knutson has scored everywhere she's gone, from the NCAA with Connecticut, to the PHF with the Metropolitan Riveters, to Germany. Now, she'll look to take her game to another level in Switzerland in Europe's burgeoning league. With ECDC Memmingen in Germany's DFEL last season, Knutson scored 32 points in 20 games. She should easily eclipse the point per game rate this season in the SWHL.

Leah Marino, 23, HC Davos - Marino is an interesting player as she is only 23, but has two seasons of professional hockey experience in the PHF under her belt. She made the jump to the pros prematurely when Robert Morris' NCAA program took a hiatus. She did not produce in the PHF with Toronto or Metropolitan, but will get the opportunity to play top six minutes in Switzerland where she could find her offensive game. She is undoubtedly a player to watch moving forward.

Reece Diener, 23, HC Davos - Born in Texas, Diener could soon be eligible to play internationally for Switzerland, and her move from Franklin Pierce in the NCAA to the SWHL could be a step toward that. Diener recorded 25 points across 100 career NCAA games. She's another player who will look to take a bigger role and develop in Switzerland.