7 fun facts about new Canucks addition Pius Suter

Pius Suter knows about hard work.

The newest member of the Vancouver Canucks didn’t crack an NHL roster full-time until the age of 24. He also went undrafted despite coming over to North America as a teenager, where he played in the OHL.

Even though it took Suter some time to make it, he has signed three NHL contracts to date which total more than $10 million. That includes the two-year, $3.2 million contract he just signed with the Canucks.

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Before Suter officially begins his Canucks career, here are seven fun facts you should know about the Swiss forward.

1. First three NHL goals were a hat trick

Talk about making a first impression.

Suter had one assist during his first five NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2020-21. However during his sixth NHL game, Suter unofficially cemented his status as a full-time NHLer.

He became just the second player in Blackhawks history to score his first three NHL goals in the same game.

2. Played with Auston Matthews in Switzerland

Perhaps Suter got his early NHL goal-scoring prowess from former teammate Auston Matthews, who famously scored four goals in his first NHL game.

Prior to Matthews’ incredible NHL debut, he spent his season prior to being drafted over in Switzerland’s top hockey league, playing for the ZSC Lions.

The 17-year-old Matthews joined the team during the same season as Suter, who was 19 years old at the time. Suter went back to Switzerland to play against men that year after two full seasons in the OHL.

Suter had a respectable 14 goals and 24 points in 45 games, but he conceded opportunities to Matthews, who had 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games.

The following season, Suter’s production increased after Matthews departed ZSC to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team who drafted him first overall in 2016.

3. Pronounced “P-Yoos”

Just by glancing at the first name of the newest Canuck, it looks like it would be pronounced “Pie-us.”

However, the 27-year-old has confirmed on numerous occasions that the proper Swiss-German pronunciation of his name is “P-Yoos.”

4. Was cut from two NHL teams

Suter came over from Europe to North America on at least three separate occasions in hopes of kickstarting his NHL career.

He left Switzerland for two years as a teenager to play with the Guelph Storm of the OHL from 2013 to 2015. Then, he came back across the pond for two other NHL opportunities that ultimately didn’t work out.

In 2017, Suter was invited to the Ottawa Senators rookie camp. He impressed enough to earn a training camp invitation, but he was ultimately released before the start of the season.

One year later in 2018 Suter was invited to training camp with the New York Islanders. Once again however, he was cut and hopped on the long flight home to Switzerland.

“Then I decided, the next time I go to a camp is when I sign somewhere,” Suter said in an interview.

5. Signed NHL contract after decorated Swiss career

By the time he signed his first NHL contract with the Blackhawks in 2020, Suter had played five full seasons with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s top hockey league.

During that time, Suter helped ZSC win the Swiss Cup (2016) and the NL Cup (2018). He also led the league in points and was named MVP in 2019-20 prior to signing with Chicago.

Suter also represented Switzerland at the 2018 Olympics, where he scored a hat trick against South Korea and led the team with five points in four games.

6. Fifth Swiss player in Canucks history

Suter currently sits 11th in scoring among all Swiss players in NHL history. Three of the players above him on that list used to play for the Canucks.

Yannick Weber, Luca Sbisa, and Sven Baertschi are the three former Swiss Canucks with more career points than Suter. Defenceman Raphael Diaz was the other Swiss skater to suit up for the Canucks before Suter.

In his introductory press conference with the media, Suter did mention that he works out and skates with a group of Swiss NHLers over in Switzerland, which sometimes includes star countrymen Timo Meier and Nico Hischier.

7. Chirped Red Wings reporter with sarcastic response

Lesson to all reporters: if you make blanket comments, expect to get chirped.

Red Wings reporter Art Regner interviewed Pius Suter alongside his co-worker, Daniella Bruce back in 2021. Towards the end of the interview (16:57), Suter gave a hilariously sarcastic answer after Regner tried to compliment him.

“You go to the net, man,” Regner said. “You like to mix it up a little bit. I love your game.”

“Yeah, I mean, I try to be around the net,” Suter replied. “That’s where the puck goes…”

Regner’s co-host, Danielle, tried to switch gears, but Regula kept going.

“If you’re a hockey player, go to the net, or go to where the puck is,” Regula said.

“That’s good…easy advice,” Suter said.