Icedogs’ Chanton is trying out for Swiss national team
Niagara Icedogs training camp isn’t scheduled to open until late January, but Swiss import Giancarlo Chanton could be back in Canada more than a month before that.
The sophomore defenceman is among 34 players invited to compete for roster spots on the national team that will represent Switzerland at the 2021 world junior hockey championships taking place Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
Playing for his homeland is nothing new for the six-foot, 174-pound left-hand shot. Chanton, a native of Busserach, Switzerland, represented his country at the under-18 world championships in 2019 as well as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, also in ’19.
Thanks to a temporary transfer due to COVID-19, Chanton has already been on the ice and will soon be able to hit the ground running when the national team selection camp gets underway Dec. 6 in Zug.
He has a goal and an assist in nine games with SC Legenthal in Switzerland’s second division and an assist in six games with the Langnau under- 20 program.
Chanton, 17, Niagara’s first pick in the 2019 Canadian Hockey League import draft with the 47th overall selection, had a goal and seven assists in 56 games with the Icedogs in his first season in the Ontario Hockey League.
He was invited to Switzerland’s under-20 summer camp in July and has been on skates since June because COVID-19 infections weren’t as widespread in Switzerland as they were in Canada at the time.
Chanton, whose twin brother, Linus, started the 2020-21 season playing defence for Langnau in the Swiss elite under-20 league, credits the Icedogs for teaching him a lot and helping his development as a hockey player.
“The impact has been a big one. I learned a lot from my coaches and the older players in my first year,” Chanton said in an interview before heading to the summer camp. “I’m really thankful that Niagara gave me this chance to come over and play for them. I had a lot of time to work on my skills and especially on my shot.”
Switzerland finished in fifth spot in last year’s World Junior Championship held in the Czech Republic. Canada took gold, Russia silver and Sweden bronze.
Bernd Franke is a St. Catharines-based journalist and the regional sports editor for the Standard, Tribune and Review. Reach him via email: bernd.franke@niagaradailies.com