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Jonas Siegenthaler got a cup of coffee in the NLA, Switzerland’s top league in 2013-14, but spent the vast majority of the season there playing against men this season. He played in 41 games, but didn’t score much, with just three assists for the Zurich Lions. Siegenthaler has been a regular on Swiss National Teams, playing at the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Under 18 tournaments, even being named to the tournament all-star team after being part of the Swiss’ huge upset victory over Russia in the Quarter-Finals. Siegenthaler was also a member of the Swiss team at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka tournament. This winter, he represented Switzerland at the 2015 World Junior Championships, playing an impressive role for a 17-year-old in the Under 20 tournament.
Jonas Siegenthaler
Defense — shoots Left
Born May 6 1997 — Zurich, Switzerland
Height 6.03 — Weight 220 [191 cm/100 kg]
Jonas Siegenthaler has ideal NHL size at 6’3″ and 220 pounds already. He’s not afraid to use that size to get involved physically. He’s not a big hitter, but he does battle along the boards and clear the front of the net. He maintains excellent gap control and positioning. Siegenthaler forces attackers to the outside, and into poor shooting positions. He has an excellent understanding of angles and how to cut down the dangerous areas of the ice. He controls his man down low, and is excellent at playing against the cycle game, keeping the puck to the outside, and sometimes stripping it with a quick poke check. Siegenthaler uses his size and a long, active stick to cut down on passing and shooting lanes. Siengenthaler has very good defensive instincts. He reads the play well and anticipates where attackers are going to go with the puck. Siegenthaler could stand to add some muscle to his upper body, and this would help him even more in those battles as he moves to a more physical North American game.
Jonas Siegenthaler is an excellent skater. He has good speed and mobility in all directions thanks to an extremely smooth stride. His pivots, edgework, and agility are all excellent, which allows Siegenthaler to be able to cover a lot of ice, and make plays in all directions. He is also very hard to beat one on one off the rush. His excellent balance is useful in winning those board battles, and clearing the front of the net.
There isn’t much of an offensive game from Jonas Siegenthaler. He does make a good first pass out of the zone, but is a true stay at home defender as he does not follow it up and join the rush. Don’t expect much from him in terms of stick handling, or setting plays up either. He moves the puck off his stick quickly, preferring to safely dump it into the corner rather than trying a creative cross ice pass. Siegenthaler has good accuracy on his shot, but his wrist and snap shot have very pedestrian releases. He lacks power on his shot, whether that be his wrist, snap, or slap shot. He does show the ability to get it on net though, and keeps things low so that he can create rebounds for teammates. Siegenthaler is not one to pinch at the blue line and keep the play alive, preferring to back off and make the safe read.
Jonas Siegenthaler can be a solid stay at home defenceman at the next level if he is able to reach his ceiling. He has a few years of development ahead of him, but could become a solid penalty killer, and the type of defender who can play beside an offensive threat at the blue line. His game is reminiscent of Karl Alzner, however this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on his talent.
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