Geneve-Servette centre Kevin Romy recently finished playing in his seventh World Championship. In the aftermath of the tournament, he compared his roles on the Swiss national team and his club, and also talked about the benefits of playing in the Champions Hockey League. 

by Pavel Kuba

Kevin Romy has established himself as a solid two-way centre in the Swiss NLA, where he's just come off his fourth straight season of 33 points or more and matched a career-high with 18 goals in 48 games in 2014–15. In doing so, he helped his Geneve-Servette club qualify for the Champions Hockey League for the second straight year.

Geneve fared well in the first CHL season, finishing tied in points with eventual-finalist Frolunda Gothenburg in group play before eventually falling to SaiPa Lappeenranta in a shootout to decide a berth in the quarter-finals. Romy was one of his team's top offensive performers in the competition, recording 8 points (6 + 2) in 8 games. 

The 30-year-old has also established himself on the Swiss national team, where he played in his seventh World Championship last month in the Czech Republic, and has also played once in the Winter Olympics.

This year, his Swiss team reached the quarter-finals before falling to the USA 3–1 in a close game. In the aftermath of the loss, Romy was understandably disappointed with the way things finished, but overall had a positive outlook on both the Swiss national team and his club team. 

“Of course, it always hurts to lose and get eliminated,” he began. “For 55 minutes we were even with them, we were right there, but unfortunately we lost it in the last five minutes. The Americans were better than us in the end and that's why they're going on to the next round.” 

He then quickly added, “But there are plenty of positives to take from this tournament. We showed that the Swiss national team is on the right track, we had one of the best defences in the group, which was based on our attacking game. We were right there against some of the best teams in the world, which gives us something to build on for next year.” 

Could you describe your role on the Swiss national team?

Well, I'm a forward, but that doesn't mean that I don't play back. All three of us on the line play well in our own zone. I was expected to contribute offensively, but without sacrificing defence. [My role is] just to play well, concentrate on both ends of the rink and not screw up too much. (smiling)

You were one of the more experienced players on the team. Did you feel that the team relied on you more than in past years?

Maybe they did, this was already my seventh World Championship. But there were also more experienced players on the team, some who've played in more tournaments than I have.

Do you feel that your role on the national team is similar to the one you have during the season with Geneve-Servette?

It's difficult to compare, but the national team, roles are divided more as needed. We have four lines that can play offensively, but are also able to defend well. In Geneva I'm counted on more to provide offence – I play a lot on the power play – but on the national team I play whatever way is needed, and that's the beauty of the national team – everyone has to accept the role within the team that will help the team be successful.

With Geneve-Servette you got a chance to play last season in the Champions Hockey League. What was that experience like?

It's a great competition because it gives us a chance to play in some meaningful games before the start of league play, which always helps the team. It's also an excellent opportunity to compare our skills on an international scale against clubs with which we don't often get a chance to see and don't know much about. The CHL is a good way to get Geneve-Servette noticed on the European scene.

You managed to re-qualify for the CHL next season. Have you thought about that yet?

Not yet, as I've been focused mainly on the World Championship. But now that it's finished, it'll soon be time to start thinking about club hockey again. 

Last year your club was in a tough group but still managed to make it to the Round of 16. This year you've been drawn into a group with Sparta Prague and Norwegian club Storhamar Hamar. Are you confident you can be successful again within the group?

Last year we had Frolunda, which is a very good team from Sweden, but all over Europe there are so many strong teams. This year coming up we just want to play as well as we can and go as far in the CHL as possible.