Moser, Team Switzerland feeling at home in Milan for Olympics

TAMPA -- J.J. Moser said he and his Team Switzerland teammates will feel at home at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

That’s because they practically are.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman recently recalled how he found that out while visiting Lake Como, just 30 miles north of Milan.

“I was on a train there and seven minutes later I saw a sign that said, ‘Welcome to Switzerland,’ the 25-year-old recalled with a chuckle. “I said, ‘Wait, there’s no chance.’”

Except there was.

“I had no idea Switzerland was that close to Milan,” he laughed. “But yeah, it’s super close. It’s great.

“For me, where I grew up, it’s less than four hours away from Milan,” he added, referring to the city of Biel. “And it’s much closer than that for where a lot of guys grew up. So, there will be a lot of families coming. It’s super-close. Super-pumped that about that, too, that you can share it with a lot of your family and friends.

“So, it already feels like our games will be a little bit like home games.”

Switzerland, in Group A, will open against Team France on Thursday (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, CBC Gem, SN), followed by games against Team Canada on Friday and Team Czechia on Feb. 15.

At first blush, it would seem as if Switzerland is in the most difficult of the three groups in the tournament, which runs from Wednesday through Feb. 22.Specifically, their toughest matchups in the preliminary round will be against Team Canada, which has won gold in the past two Olympics that featured NHL players (2010, 2014); and underrated Team Czechia, which won gold at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and is led by the always dynamic David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins.

At the same time, it would be a mistake to take Moser and Team Switzerland lightly, especially after back-to-back silver medal finishes at the Worlds.

Moser is part of a roster that features nine other NHL players: forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils), Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings), Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets), Philipp Kurashev (San Jose Sharks), Pius Suter (St. Louis Blues); defensemen Roman Josi (Nashville Predators), Jonas Siegenthaler (Devils); and goalie Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights). It’s a squad that doesn’t lack talent, let alone confidence.

“We’re very excited,” Moser said. “I think our program has done a good job developing players and it is showing. We’ve seen it with the results in the past few World Championships, and how we’ve always been competitive in them.”

Moser said the continuity of having Patrick Fischer coaching the Swiss national team since 2015 is one of the keys to the team’s chemistry.

“Having the same coach and basically the same core for such an extended period of time, that’s certainly one advantage that we can and have to use and take advantage of,” he said. “A lot of the other teams, they’re not used to each other. We are.

“So, yes, again, super excited. Swiss hockey has come a long way.”

So much so that Niederreiter was selected to be a flag-bearer for Switzerland at the Opening Ceremony on Friday. The forward has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 55 games with the Jets this season and is third all-time among Switzerland-born players in the NHL with 499 points (248 goals, 251 assists) in 1,024 games behind Josi (763) and Fiala (528).

It’s another indication of how much hockey has grown and become relevant on the sporting landscape of Switzerland.

Much in the same way Moser’s importance has increased with the Lightning.

At the Olympic break, only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (plus-48) had a better plus/minus in the NHL than Moser (plus-39). He’s also chipped in with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 53 games.

The Lightning, recognizing that the young defenseman continues to get better, signed Moser to an eight-year, $54 million contract on Dec. 27. The contract begins next season and has an average annual value of $6.75 million.

“I’m really enjoying myself here,” he said. “I feel comfortable here.”

Just like he expects to be in Milan, complete with all the Swiss supporters.