Geneve-Servette prospect Auguste Impose is currently playing for Switzerland at the U18 World Championship in Zug and Lucerne. He got a taste of the pros last season, and hopes for more next season. 

by Pavel Kuba

ZUG – Switzerland is currently hosting the U18 World Championship, but the group stage didn't go according to plan. In four games, the Swiss managed just two points from an overtime win over Latvia and finished fourth out of five teams. Switzerland's biggest problem has been a lack of offence – only five goals in four games – despite several talented young players who are capable of producing.

“That's hockey,” shrugged winger Auguste Impose, one of the players who Switzerland is counting on to produce if they are to beat Russia in Thursday's quarter-final. “In this tournament, the games come up quickly one after another, so we just have to concentrate on our next opponent.”

Impose has put up good offensive numbers for Swiss national youth teams in recent years, including this season where he had two points in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial and two more in the World Junior A Challenge – four points in eight total games. Domestically, he put up 45 points in 36 games in Switzerland's top junior league and also played four regular season and five playoff games for Geneve-Servette in the NLA, so he has experience playing against men.

Do you think playing in the NLA playoffs has helped you in this U18 tournament?

It helped me a lot. I played a few games with the pros – the NLA is faster, battles are more intense. It's a good way to get ready for tough games at the U18 World Championships against great teams like Canada, Finland and Sweden. These teams have a lot of professional players and many of them will be drafted in the NHL in the first round.

So would you say there is really no comparison between the two levels?

The difference here is really huge. The NLA has many players who have played professionally for 10 or 15 years, or played in several World Championships or Olympics. It's hard to compare with the top junior level. Compared to them, we're still kids.

How about your play in this tournament? Do you notice the presence of all the NHL scouts watching?

We're all aware that this is the last big tournament before the draft, and there are a lot of scouts in the stands. But during the game, we try to ignore it and just play. We're used to it and we're ready for it.

How do you personally ever see your chances towards this year's draft?

I hope to be drafted, I really hope so. I'm doing everything I can, constantly working on myself. But I also want to play a good tournament with the Swiss national team. That to me is probably the most important thing. We are playing at home in front of our own fans, so individual accomplishments take a back seat to the team.

What about next season? Will we see you again in a Geneve-Servette jersey?

I do not know what will happen. I haven't talked about my future yet with the club management.

Did you see any of your teammates' games in the Champions Hockey League?

I watched the last part of the CHL. It's a high-level league with the best top clubs from countries such as Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic. It's great that in Europe there's something like that, where clubs from different countries can be compared with each other. I didn't see a lot of games last year, but when I was talking with teammates, they told me that the calibre is really high.

Assuming you are back in Geneva, does the prospect of playing in the CHL interest you?

If the opportunity arises, I think I could play in some CHL games. If I get a chance, I'm sure that I'll make the most of it.