Once upon a time, Sven Baertschi was thought of as a staple in the Vancouver Canucks’ top-six. After retiring from playing hockey after the 2022–23 season, however, the forward made his way into the coaching space.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Baertschi had been elevated from his role as an assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, now serving as their associate coach for the 2026–27 season.
Advertisement
Baertschi has been with the Winterhawks as a coach since the 2024–25 season, with this being his first formal coaching gig. The familiarity with the WHL organization extends past this, however, as he played two seasons worth of junior hockey with Portland back in 2010–11 and 2011–12. After putting up an impressive 85 points in 66 games in his rookie season with the Winterhawks, Baertschi recorded 94 points in only 47 games, following that up with a 34-point post-season run.
After four seasons as part of the Calgary Flames organization, having been drafted 13th-overall by the Flames in 2011, Baertschi was traded to the Canucks for a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. This pick turned into now-Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Rasmus Andersson.
The winger spent the better-half of seven seasons with the Canucks organization, scoring a career-high of 35 points in 2016–17, though injuries towards the back-half of his career ultimately ended with him and Vancouver parting ways. He spent one season with the Golden Knights organization before heading back to Switzerland and concluding his playing career.
Advertisement
Players currently listed on the Winterhawks’ 2026–27 roster include defencemen Avery Laliberte and Stevie Grumley, as well as goaltender Ondrej Stebetak.
Make sure you bookmark THN’s Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:
Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Report Card: Max Sasson
Canucks Mascot Eligible For Hall Of Fame Class Of 2026
Advertisement
Max Sasson & Paul Cotter Could Reprise Their Roles As Linemates With The Canucks
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Hockey News
