Swiss goaltender Andrea Brandli is not only the backbone of their Olympic hockey roster, but she's also the top goaltender set to enter the 2026 PWHL Draft and a likely starter in the league.
Goaltending has been a topic of conversation and a strong point for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament. While Saskia Maurer was the talk of the women's hockey tournament in Switzerland's opening games, it's Swiss starter Andrea Brandli who is the top name to watch for the 2026 PWHL Draft.
Brandli returned to action after quarantining with norovirus for the opening games of the tournament to make 45 saves in a loss to the United States.
Brandli comes with a long list of accolades. The 28-year-old was named Best Goaltender at the 2014 U-18 Division 1A World Championships leading Switzerland to promotion, then helped keep the Swiss in the top group the following season leading the tournament with a .949 save percentage in five games.
In 2019, Brandli joined Ohio State winning an NCAA national title with the team in 2022. In 116 career NCAA games, Brandli posted a 1.99 GAA, .929 save percentage, and 15 career shutouts. In her final season of NCAA hockey, Brandli transferred to Boston University and was named the 2023 Swiss Ice Hockey Woman of the Year.
Currently Brandli is in her third professional season playing in the SDHL. She spent her first two seasons in the league with MoDo, and is the reigning SDHL Goaltender of the Year after posting a 1.56 GAA and .942 save percentage last season.
This year, she again sits atop the SDHL goaltending statistics playing for Frolunda where she has a 15-5-0 record through 20 starts, along with four shutouts, a 1.54 GAA and .944 save percentage.
Internationally, Brandli has been nothing short of spectacular keeping the Swiss competitive against the top teams in the World Championships. She's already in her third Olympic Games with the Swiss and has represented her nation at eight World Championships.