Adam Tambellini’s family has shaped the traditional tournament more than almost any other from Canada. Now, for the first time, he wants to shine with HC Davos.

It is rare for three generations of a Canadian hockey family to leave their mark in Switzerland and on the Spengler Cup. That is the case of the Tambellinis. When Adam plays the tournament with Davos, he will not be the first; his grandfather Addie participated with Klagenfurt in 1963. His father Steve played for ZSC in 1988, not at the traditional tournament but in the NLB after having transferred straight out of the NHL. He then figured on Team Canada’s Spengler Cup staff in 2015, when Adam’s brother Jeff was on the team.

And now Adam, who will not be making his Spengler Cup debut. He already participated in 2019 with Team Canada and won the tournament. Now the odd experience of playing against the team with the red maple leaf awaits him. ‘But this will be a cool experience’, says Tambellini.

The 30-year-old forward’s career has taken many unexpected twists. At the age of 19 he wanted to play university hockey in the US but quickly realized ‘it wasn’t the right fit.’ So, he transferred to the Canadian junior league in the middle of the season. A move between these two leagues is allowed only in that direction and, as such, it is quite rare for a player to have played both NCAA and CHL hockey.

Tambellini’s destination was Calgary, which is the ice hockey rival of his hometown Edmonton. He was born in Vancouver, where his father was not only a player but also figured in the NHL team’s management for several years. ‘For that reason, the Vancouver Canucks became my first hockey love’, explains Adam. ‘As a kid I was always allowed to be around the team.’

In 2013, the New York Rangers drafted him in the third round. For four years he toughed out the AHL without ever getting called up to the NHL. In the meantime, he was 25 and thus at an age where he moved into “veteran status” – a rule that ensures that young players get enough playing time. Suddenly, Tambellini did not even have a secure spot in the AHL.

He decided to move to Europe but did not land in an elite league, rather, in Sweden’s second-highest league with Ornskoldsvik MODO. ‘I would have had to wait longer for a contract in the SHL and I did not want that’, says Tambellini. Yet, he did not regret it, his move to MODO was one of the best decisions he ever made. He played for a coach that he appreciated and who had made headlines across the Swedish borders; Bjorn Hellqvist had at a young age suffered from Parkinson’s and had resorted to the unique form of therapy of deep brain stimulation.

With a strong showing in his first season, Tambellini made a case for himself in the SHL, where he played for Rogle in Angelholm. Last summer he made the move to Davos together with Simon Ryfors. Just as in Sweden, the duo played together on the same line and had an immediate impact in Davos. Including his triumph with Team Canada, he experienced nothing but success in Davos. And nothing shall change in that regard. ‘Now I want to win the tournament with HCD.’
 

Text: SLAPSHOT, das Hockey-Magazin der Schweiz
Foto: SLAPSHOT/Reto Fiechter