Sven Bärtschi

Lore & Background

Bärtschi began his professional career in 2009–10 for SC Langenthal in the Swiss National League B and was pursued by SC Bern of the National League A. He chose instead to move to North America to pursue an NHL career. He was selected by the WHL's Portland Winterhawks seventh overall in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League import draft. Bärtschi led all WHL rookies in 2010–11 with 34 goals and 85 points, and finished as the runner-up to Mathew Dumba for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Heading into the 2011 NHL entry draft, he was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the seventh best North American based skater, and was selected 13th overall by the Calgary Flames. The team quickly signed him to a three-year entry-level contract US$1.45 million per season, including bonuses. He attended the team's training camp that fall, but was returned to Portland for the 2011–12 WHL season. Bärtschi was among the league's leaders offensively, averaging 2.00 points per game (94 points in 47 games) and was named WHL player of the week three times. His teammates named him Portland's most valuable player, and he was named to the WHL's Western Conference second all-star team. Due to a number of injuries in Calgary, the Flames recalled Bärtschi on an emergency basis on 7 March. He made his NHL debut on 9 March in a 5–3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He scored his first goal two nights later against Matt Hackett of the Minnesota Wild. Bärtschi added goals in his following two games and quickly became a fan favourite in Calgary. He appeared in a total of five NHL games and scored three goals before returning players necessitated his return to Portland. Bärtschi was the top scorer of the 2012 WHL playoffs, recording 34 points in 22 games, to lead Portland to their second consecutive appearance in the league championship series. They again lost, falling in seven games to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Bärtschi turned professional in 2012–13, and due to an NHL labour dispute, began the season with Calgary's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. He had 17 points in his first 19 games with the Heat before suffering a neck injury that caused him to miss five weeks of the season, a total of 13 games. On 2 March 2015, the Calgary Flames traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vancouver's 2nd-round draft pick in 2015. Bärtschi had demanded to be traded from the Calgary Flames. Bärtschi made his Canucks debut on 4 April 2015, against the Winnipeg Jets. He initially wore #42 with the Canucks, but changed his number to 47 when the Canucks took on the Arizona Coyotes on 9 April 2015. On 11 April 2015, Sven Bärtschi scored his first and second goals as a Canuck against the Edmonton Oilers. On 28 July 2015, Bärtschi re-signed with the Canucks to a one-year, one-way contract. Bärtschi had a successful season with the Canucks, posting career-highs with 15 goals and 28 points. On 16 June 2016, Bärtschi re-signed with Vancouver on a 2-year, $3.7 million contract. On 1 July 2018, Bärtschi was signed by the Canucks to a three-year contract extension worth $10.1 million. Bärtschi missed 56 games during the 2018–19 NHL season due to suffering from post-concussion syndrome. He was previously checked in the head by Vegas Golden Knights player Tomas Hyka during a game on 24 October 2018. On 30 September 2019, Bärtschi was placed on waivers by the Canucks, prior to the start of the 2019–20 NHL season. He cleared waivers the next day. Following his seventh year within the Canucks organization and not featuring at the NHL level for the season, Bärtschi left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on 28 July 2021. After spending most of the 2021–22 season with Vegas's farm team, the Henderson Silver Knights, Bärtschi returned home to play in Switzerland by signing a three-year deal with SC Bern of the NL. After an unsuccessful first year back in Switzerland, Bärtschi officially retired from professional hockey on 2 August 2023.

Reader's Guide

Sven Bärtschi's career is notable for his transition from Swiss junior hockey to becoming a first-round NHL draft pick and for his time with the Vancouver Canucks. After being selected 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2011, he made an immediate impact in the WHL, leading all rookies in scoring and finishing as runner-up for Rookie of the Year. His NHL debut came in 2012, and he quickly scored his first three goals in five games. However, his tenure with Calgary was brief; he was traded to Vancouver in 2015 after requesting a trade. With the Canucks, Bärtschi achieved career highs of 15 goals and 28 points in the 2015–16 season, earning a series of contract extensions. His career was significantly affected by a concussion suffered in October 2018 from a hit by Tomas Hyka, causing him to miss 56 games that season. He later cleared waivers in 2019 and spent his final NHL season with the Vegas Golden Knights organization before returning to Switzerland. Bärtschi retired in 2023 after an unsuccessful season with SC Bern. His legacy includes being a Swiss forward who reached the NHL and set personal bests with Vancouver, though his later years were marked by injury and diminished playing time.

Did You Know?

• Bärtschi finished as the runner-up for the WHL Rookie of the Year award in 2010–11.
• He scored his first NHL goal against Matt Hackett of the Minnesota Wild.
• Bärtschi was traded from Calgary to Vancouver after requesting a trade.
• He missed 56 games in the 2018–19 season due to post-concussion syndrome.