Tyler Moy (#95) has shone on Switzerland's top line with four points through two games at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Herning, Denmark.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Tyler Moy owns a bachelor’s degree in human evolutionary biology from Harvard. However, there was no monkeying around when the San Diego-born SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers forward scored twice and added an assist in Switzerland’s 5-2 win over host Denmark on Saturday night at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Say what?
To put it mildly, it is not every day that a 29-year-old rookie from a West Coast U.S. city gets his first two top-division goals on a line with two European NHL stars. And yet, Moy is meshing seamlessly with Swiss captain Nico Hischier and power forward Timo Meier in the early going in Herning.
“Obviously, they’re both amazing players,” Moy said of the New Jersey Devils veterans. “I got two great passes from them. I had the easy job putting the puck in the net there at the end. But they have great histories of playing in the NHL. They see the ice so well and protect the puck and make plays. It's a lot of fun playing with those guys, and to see it click tonight was a great feeling.”
Moy, coming off his seventh Swiss National League season, performed with scientific efficiency in 12:58 of ice time versus the Danes, scoring on both shots he took. The 186-cm, 92-kg forward had 15 goals and 27 assists as an assistant captain with the Lakers this year. Now he leads the unbeaten Swiss with four points through two games.
“He did good,” said Danish sniper Nicklas Jensen, who plays with Moy in Rapperswil-Jona. “He’s a goal-scorer. He showed it today.”
Moy, whose mother Susanna hails from a small village outside Lucerne called Nebikon, has wondered at times whether he would ever get to strut his stuff on this global stage. The former sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators (175th overall in 2015) has been cut from past Swiss rosters, including the 2024 edition that claimed a silver medal in Prague with a 2-0 final loss to the Czechs.
“It’s something I worked really hard for,” said Moy, who was named an NL all-star in 2023 with a career-best 51 points. “For a long time, it’s been a goal of mine to be here, and it’s a great honor. I felt like I put together a great camp. I felt like I put together a great year during the season. I didn’t really think about it too much, more just that it's an opportunity for me to be here, and I'm very thankful and grateful for that.”
Indisputably, it’s been a long journey to get to this career highlight from San Diego. Moy’s late father Randy – a Detroit native who played hockey at Western Michigan University in the mid-1970’s – inculcated a love of the game while coaching in California.
The U.S.’s eighth-largest city has historically been known more for beaches, Mexican food, and tourist attractions like the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park than hockey. That has begun to shift recently with the presence of the San Diego Gulls – the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks – and the star power of Thatcher Demko, the Vancouver Canucks goalie who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2024.
In those sunny surroundings, Moy persevered as a youngster. He went on to chase his junior hockey dreams in Chicago and Omaha before making the jump to Harvard. He won two ECAC titles and also led the Crimson with 22 goals as a senior in 2016-17.
He’s appreciative of everything he gained from attending one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions.
“Harvard was not easy,” Moy said. “It was difficult to balance the academics with the high level of hockey at the same time. That taught me a lot of resilience and willingness to get things done even when it’s not convenient to do so, like going to bed late to finish projects or homework or study for exams. All those things, they build you as a person to go through life. I felt like I learned a lot of really good lessons and learned a lot of great things on the ice as well.”
Showing what a small world hockey is, Moy played post-Harvard for the Milwaukee Admirals – Nashville’s AHL affiliate – under Dean Evason, who is coaching Canada at this year’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Sweden.
And now, it’s time to soak in the full IIHF experience here in Herning. What has that been like?
“Crazy, unlike anything I've ever experienced,” Moy said. “You’re sleeping in the hotel, and you’re hearing people cheering and singing songs outside. There’s just a buzz in the whole city. To see so many fans, especially the Swiss fans, here representing, it’s a really cool experience, and to be able to represent them on the ice is a great honor.”
He will be 30 by the time the 2026 Winter Olympics roll around. He cherishes memories of watching the Olympics on TV with his family, particularly 2002 in Salt Lake City. Perhaps he will get a chance to make some memories of his own in Milan.
Of course, Moy can take nothing for granted. Especially since NHL forwards like 2024 tournament MVP Kevin Fiala, Nino Niederreiter, and Pius Suter will be going for Olympic roster spots as well.
Nonetheless, the Swiss certainly benefited from North American-born talent the last time the Winter Games took place in Italy. Paul DiPietro – a Sault Ste. Marie-born member of the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadians – scored twice in Switzerland’s historic 2-0 upset over Canada in Turin. That Swiss team was coached by Winnipeg-born Ralph Krueger.
So Moy would love to put an American twist on that legend next year.
For now, though, he’s focused on going up against the land of his birth at this Ice Hockey World Championship. The Swiss battle the U.S. on Monday in a heavyweight tilt at Jyske Bank Boxen.
“It’s a unique experience,” Moy said with a gap-toothed smile. “You know, at the end of the day, it’s a game of hockey. But for sure, it’s a special one for me.”
Say what?
To put it mildly, it is not every day that a 29-year-old rookie from a West Coast U.S. city gets his first two top-division goals on a line with two European NHL stars. And yet, Moy is meshing seamlessly with Swiss captain Nico Hischier and power forward Timo Meier in the early going in Herning.
“Obviously, they’re both amazing players,” Moy said of the New Jersey Devils veterans. “I got two great passes from them. I had the easy job putting the puck in the net there at the end. But they have great histories of playing in the NHL. They see the ice so well and protect the puck and make plays. It's a lot of fun playing with those guys, and to see it click tonight was a great feeling.”
Moy, coming off his seventh Swiss National League season, performed with scientific efficiency in 12:58 of ice time versus the Danes, scoring on both shots he took. The 186-cm, 92-kg forward had 15 goals and 27 assists as an assistant captain with the Lakers this year. Now he leads the unbeaten Swiss with four points through two games.
“He did good,” said Danish sniper Nicklas Jensen, who plays with Moy in Rapperswil-Jona. “He’s a goal-scorer. He showed it today.”
Moy, whose mother Susanna hails from a small village outside Lucerne called Nebikon, has wondered at times whether he would ever get to strut his stuff on this global stage. The former sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators (175th overall in 2015) has been cut from past Swiss rosters, including the 2024 edition that claimed a silver medal in Prague with a 2-0 final loss to the Czechs.
“It’s something I worked really hard for,” said Moy, who was named an NL all-star in 2023 with a career-best 51 points. “For a long time, it’s been a goal of mine to be here, and it’s a great honor. I felt like I put together a great camp. I felt like I put together a great year during the season. I didn’t really think about it too much, more just that it's an opportunity for me to be here, and I'm very thankful and grateful for that.”
Indisputably, it’s been a long journey to get to this career highlight from San Diego. Moy’s late father Randy – a Detroit native who played hockey at Western Michigan University in the mid-1970’s – inculcated a love of the game while coaching in California.
The U.S.’s eighth-largest city has historically been known more for beaches, Mexican food, and tourist attractions like the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park than hockey. That has begun to shift recently with the presence of the San Diego Gulls – the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks – and the star power of Thatcher Demko, the Vancouver Canucks goalie who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2024.
In those sunny surroundings, Moy persevered as a youngster. He went on to chase his junior hockey dreams in Chicago and Omaha before making the jump to Harvard. He won two ECAC titles and also led the Crimson with 22 goals as a senior in 2016-17.
He’s appreciative of everything he gained from attending one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions.
“Harvard was not easy,” Moy said. “It was difficult to balance the academics with the high level of hockey at the same time. That taught me a lot of resilience and willingness to get things done even when it’s not convenient to do so, like going to bed late to finish projects or homework or study for exams. All those things, they build you as a person to go through life. I felt like I learned a lot of really good lessons and learned a lot of great things on the ice as well.”
Showing what a small world hockey is, Moy played post-Harvard for the Milwaukee Admirals – Nashville’s AHL affiliate – under Dean Evason, who is coaching Canada at this year’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Sweden.
And now, it’s time to soak in the full IIHF experience here in Herning. What has that been like?
“Crazy, unlike anything I've ever experienced,” Moy said. “You’re sleeping in the hotel, and you’re hearing people cheering and singing songs outside. There’s just a buzz in the whole city. To see so many fans, especially the Swiss fans, here representing, it’s a really cool experience, and to be able to represent them on the ice is a great honor.”
He will be 30 by the time the 2026 Winter Olympics roll around. He cherishes memories of watching the Olympics on TV with his family, particularly 2002 in Salt Lake City. Perhaps he will get a chance to make some memories of his own in Milan.
Of course, Moy can take nothing for granted. Especially since NHL forwards like 2024 tournament MVP Kevin Fiala, Nino Niederreiter, and Pius Suter will be going for Olympic roster spots as well.
Nonetheless, the Swiss certainly benefited from North American-born talent the last time the Winter Games took place in Italy. Paul DiPietro – a Sault Ste. Marie-born member of the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadians – scored twice in Switzerland’s historic 2-0 upset over Canada in Turin. That Swiss team was coached by Winnipeg-born Ralph Krueger.
So Moy would love to put an American twist on that legend next year.
For now, though, he’s focused on going up against the land of his birth at this Ice Hockey World Championship. The Swiss battle the U.S. on Monday in a heavyweight tilt at Jyske Bank Boxen.
“It’s a unique experience,” Moy said with a gap-toothed smile. “You know, at the end of the day, it’s a game of hockey. But for sure, it’s a special one for me.”