Naemi Herzig is the youngest player on Team Switzerland, and she's certainly one of the more talented. With Swiss star Alina Muller in the PWHL now as well, Herzig also has a new dream to chase, one she can see unfolding in front of her.
Naemi Herzig is the youngest player on Team Switzerland, and she's certainly one of the more talented. With Swiss star Alina Muller in the PWHL now as well, Herzig also has a new dream to chase, one she can see unfolding in front of her.
Naemi Herzig has a long way to go in her hockey career. She turned 17 only two weeks before the puck dropped on the 2024 IIHF women's World Championships. The 2007 born forward is one of Switzerland's best hopes for a brighter future with their national program.
This season she played alongside several members of Switzerland's national team with EV Zug, helping the new club earn promotion to Switzerland's top league.
"It's great, just the chance that I can be here and play against the best in the world," said Herzig of making her World Championship debut with Switzerland. She has represented Switzerland at the U-18 World Championships, and is still eligible net year as well.
At the senior World Championships however, Herzig is acting like a sponge in hopes of soaking up every bit of knowledge and experience she can.
"I want to take as much experience I can and learn from the best, and show them what I've got," Herzig said.
As a 16-year-old this season playing on a team with Swiss legend Lara Stalder, Herzig scored 24 goals and 47 points in 15 games for EV Zug. For her, the opportunity to learn from players like Stalder and Alina Muller, who Herzig called "great people" not just on the ice but off the ice, is invaluable for her growth as a player.
"We can learn so much off the ice, just their mentality, the way they work on things," she said.
Watching Switzerland's two best players and getting to train with them first hand at the World Championships is certainly a crash course for Herzig and other young stars like teammate Ivana Wey. Watching Muller play in the PWHL this season has also given Herzig a tangible goal she can shoot for in the future.
Now with the best league in the world, to play there, to see Alina Muller play there is just a new dream I am able to chase now. But I also want to stay in the moment," said Herzig.
Her shot term goal is to earn an NCAA scholarship. Long term it's about helping Switzerland and playing professionally. Herzig represents a new generation of talented youth who will enter their college days knowing a singular pro league exists. The path is clear, and with Alina Muller playing for PWHL Boston, the role model is also in place.
All that's left is for Naemi Herzig to remain in the moment, to take what she can from her first World Championship, and to chase her dreams for as long as she can.