While Dynamo Pardubice and Kärpät Oulu have (so far) not registered any substitute players—or, as they were previously called, reinforcement players—Straubing, Fribourg, and Davos will expand their rosters with players from other teams for the Spengler Cup.

Slava Bykov and Andrei Khomutov, Patrick Kane, Linus Klasen, or Martin St. Louis—big names in world hockey have left their mark on the Davos tournament as substitute players in the past, enhancing the Spengler Cup's appeal and publicity. The special rule allowing teams to supplement their existing roster for the Spengler Cup with up to three skaters (previously five) and one goalie was introduced in the 1980s. At that time, HC Davos had spent years in the Swiss National League B or languished in the lower ranks of the top league. The hosts were therefore not in a position to field a competitive team. Out of necessity, the Spengler Cup evolved for years into a tournament for national teams, mostly second-tier squads from around the world and Switzerland’s then B-level national team. However, public and sponsor enthusiasm for this format was limited. The disparity compared to Europe’s top teams, such as Dukla Jihlava, SKA Leningrad, or Spartak Moscow—who had been fixtures in Davos in earlier years—was simply too great. The organizing committee at the time decided to revert the Spengler Cup to a pure club tournament, with Davos as the host. To enable HCD to compete against top-level opposition, the concept of substitute players was introduced—a tradition that continues to this day.

Nowadays, this rule is maintained primarily to manage the heavy workload of players, who may face up to five games in six days, by allowing teams to have a broader roster. It also helps cover potential absences, such as players away at the U20 World Championship, which traditionally takes place during the holiday week. This way, coaches can avoid overburdening their players and have enough depth to distribute the workload across more players.

For this year's Spengler Cup, as of today, seven additions have been announced. Slovak forward Michal Krištof (SCL Tigers) and American defenseman T.J. Brennan (HC Ajoie) will join Fribourg during the holiday week. Forward Oula Palve and defenseman Theodor Lennström, both from Servette, will join HCD.

The Straubing Tigers will treat their fans to an emotional surprise with the temporary return of Sandro Schönberger. The long-time crowd favorite and team captain, who moved to the Tölzer Löwen at the end of last season, will return to his home club for the Spengler Cup. Additionally, Lower Bavaria can count on Zachery Leslie and Eric Uba from Adler Mannheim.

Text: Spengler Cup-Onlineredaktion    Foto: Maurice Parrée