Baertschi skyrocketed into public consciousness in Calgary during March 2012 as the "Swiss Can't-Miss."

Two days after making his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames against the Winnipeg Jets, the highly touted left wing -- with his family at home in Bern, Switzerland, watching on television -- scored on the rebound of his own deflection 1:43 into the third period in a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Wild on March 11.

Two nights later in Calgary, he scored a second goal in a 3-2 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks. Two days after that, he got a third goal, 17 seconds after the opening faceoff in a 4-1 victory against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Three goals in five games made Baertschi all the rage in southern Alberta.

With the Flames out of playoff contention, the new sensation was returned to juniors and powered Portland all the way to the Western Hockey League final, where it lost a seven-game series to Edmonton. In 22 WHL playoff games, Baertschi scored 14 goals and finished with 34 points. The Flames appeared to have a popular young player to build around.

Baertschi had finished an 85-point inaugural junior season with Portland when Calgary selected him with the No. 13 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He heightened his profile the following season when he had 94 points (33 goals, 61 assists) in 47 games to finish 10th in the WHL.

The five-game NHL call-up, followed by the productive playoff performance with Portland, raised the anticipation among Flames fans. Expectations were high when Baertschi arrived at Calgary's training camp in 2012. But then came three seasons spent mainly with Abbotsford and Adirondack of the American Hockey League, with occasional call-ups to Calgary.

Baertschi needed a change, and the Flames traded him to the Vancouver Canucks on March 2, 2015.

The 2015-16 season was really Baertschi's first as an NHL regular, and he showed flashes of his old self. In 69 games for the Canucks, he had 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists). Baertschi followed that with 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists) in 68 games in 2016-17 and 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games in 2017-18.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WHL West Second All-Star Team (2012)
• Traded to Vancouver by Calgary for Vancouver's 2nd round pick (Rasmus Andersson) in 2015 NHL Draft, March 2, 2015.
• Signed as a free agent by Vegas, July 28, 2021.