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Olympic dark horse? Switzerland announces evaluation camp roster

Mark Streit

The last time Switzerland won a medal in Olympic ice hockey, the year was 1948 and the games were played outdoors at the St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink.

The Swiss came away with the bronze that year (Canada won gold; Czechoslovakia silver); however, it’s been a pretty tough go since.

Could the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, mark Switzerland’s return to the Olympic podium?

Well, let’s be honest, probably not. But if you’re looking for a dark horse, the Swiss do feature veteran NHLers like Flyers defenseman Mark Streit and Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. They also have some young talent up front in Flames forward Sven Baertschi and free agent Damien Brunner. Nashville defenseman Roman Josi is another promising young player.

Suffice to say, it would be unwise for the favorites to overlook this team.

You may recall in 2010 when Switzerland pushed home side Canada to a shootout in the preliminary round. The Swiss were eventually eliminated by the United States in the quarterfinals, but only by a score of 2-0 (with an empty-netter).

Switzlerand also won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championship -- beating Canada and the U.S. along the way -- losing in the gold-medal game to home-side Sweden.

For the complete list of 47 players invited to Switzerland’s Olympic evaluation camp, click here.