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 Source: Gwinnett Daily Post
Scott Mifsud accumulated points with Swiss clockwork regularity during the 2006-07 season, his second as a professional for the Gwinnett Gladiators.
Now he’s takes his 94 points and high-tempo game to the land renowned for its watches. Mifsud has signed to play for Thurgau of the Swiss hockey league and feels like the time was right to go overseas.
For some, it will be hard to understand why Mifsud would opt to play in Switzerland this season. He finished second only to linemate Brad Schell in last season’s race for an ECHL scoring title and that came on the heels of a trip to the Kelly Cup finals as a rookie out of the University of Vermont.
But Mifsud has only been called up to the American Hockey League once in two years, despite collecting 157 points in 141 regular-season games as a professional.
“Basically, the way I was thinking was when I left university, I gave myself two years over here make a name for myself,” the gregarious 25-year-old said from his home near Toronto. “We had great success two years ago. Then last year getting called up to the AHL once and wanting more than that, I just felt that it was time for a new experience.
“I got a pretty good offer and I’ve never been to Europe. For my age, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to do this.”
If he had been in the same position even just a few years ago, Mifsud said he might not have made the same decision. Until fairly recently, going overseas was tantamount to admitting you were never going to make the next level.
The leagues in Germany and Switzerland and England have always offered a nice payday. But as a far as the upper echelon of hockey was concerned, players were out of sight, out of mind if they headed for Europe.
That’s changed recently and players have been able to go overseas for a season and not lose ground in the pursuit of an AHL, or NHL, roster spot.
Mifsud isn’t giving up on playing in the AHL. Not at all. He’s just exploring this option and taking it one season at a time.
“I’m looking forward to the experience,” Mifsud said. “I think I’m at a good age to go.
“I can’t say enough about Gwinnett. It’s been such a great time. But such is life. It’s time to move on try something different.”
Mifsud said he was close to signing with a team in Germany when a more enticing offer came from Thurgau, which plays in the second division of the NLB. Teams in this league are only permitted two imports each and the coach in Thurgau has not been keen on even using up that allotment.
“The past few years, they haven’t had any imports,” Mifsud said.
The imports — any non-Swiss player — are meant to be the best on the roster. But in past years, Mifsud said, the Thurgau coach felt like the foreign players were there just to collect a paycheck.
Mifsud said his agents, one of whom is a native of Switzerland, assured Thurgau that this was not be the case here.
Anyone who has seen Mifsud plays can second that. He’s not tall — the 5-foot-9 listing by Gwinnett is extremely generous — but Mifsud is rock-solid on his skates and has a hard-working attitude.
The European game suits his free-wheeling style and should give the speedy forward plenty of opportunities to create scoring chances.
“As far as the game goes, it’s played on Olympic ice, so it’s a much bigger surface,” Mifsud said.
“They play fewer games. It’s a 52-game schedule. There’s a little less contact — although, I actually rather enjoy the contact. But as far as having a long career and maintaining your body (the physical aspect of the game takes a toll).”
He freely admits it wasn’t an easy decision.
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