Daniela Diaz, the former head coach of the Swiss women's national team, is helping to set new standards for the PostFinance Women's League with EV Zug.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
Not everyone in Daniela Diaz’s shoes would feel the need to give back.
She has built an enviable resume both as a hockey player and a coach. The 43-year-old Zug native played at the 2006 Olympics and four top-level IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships (1997, 1999. 2004, 2007). After retiring, Diaz served as the head coach of the Swiss women’s national team (2016-19).
Most recently, she’s done double duty as the head of EV Zug’s women and girls program and the coach of their PostFinance Women’s League club. Having achieved promotion from the B league in the inaugural campaign of 2023-24, Diaz then guided EVZ to the 2025 Swiss finals, where the team fell in hard-fought fashion to SC Bern.
So Diaz has plenty on her plate. However, she was happy to sign up for the IIHF’s new HER Coaching Network, which launched in April during the Women’s Worlds in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. Powered by the Signal platform, it’s an opportunity for female coaches to engage in networking and mentorship, building a global community. More than 270 coaches from 40 countries have come on board so far.
She has built an enviable resume both as a hockey player and a coach. The 43-year-old Zug native played at the 2006 Olympics and four top-level IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships (1997, 1999. 2004, 2007). After retiring, Diaz served as the head coach of the Swiss women’s national team (2016-19).
Most recently, she’s done double duty as the head of EV Zug’s women and girls program and the coach of their PostFinance Women’s League club. Having achieved promotion from the B league in the inaugural campaign of 2023-24, Diaz then guided EVZ to the 2025 Swiss finals, where the team fell in hard-fought fashion to SC Bern.
So Diaz has plenty on her plate. However, she was happy to sign up for the IIHF’s new HER Coaching Network, which launched in April during the Women’s Worlds in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. Powered by the Signal platform, it’s an opportunity for female coaches to engage in networking and mentorship, building a global community. More than 270 coaches from 40 countries have come on board so far.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for women's hockey,” Diaz told IIHF.com. “The women’s game has grown so much. It’s very important to have a network where all the female coaches come together, share their experience, and support each other.”
Diaz has been inspired personally by both female and male coaches, including trailblazing Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell and Dan Tagnes, who guided EV Zug’s men’s team to back-to-back Swiss NL titles in 2021 and 2022. And she clearly has a story to share in terms of preaching a crowd-pleasing style of hockey.
In total, more than 25,000 fans flocked to Zug’s arena last season to watch Diaz’s squad, featuring veterans like Swiss captain Lara Stalder and up-and-coming talents like 19-year-old Ivana Wey. EVZ also won a pair of club tournaments – the EWHL Euro Cup and the National Cup – to augment the positive vibes.
Meanwhile, the Swiss women’s national team has been spinning its wheels in the top division of the Women’s Worlds recently. It finished fifth for the second straight year in Ceske Budejovice. But the uptick in the Swiss national league holds seeds of promise. That’s vital as other elite leagues – from North America’s PWHL to Sweden’s SDHL – are continuing to experience rapid growth.
“With the women’s league in general, they have made a huge step in the last year,” Diaz said. “With EV Zug, we made new standards. We broke the spectator record [with 4,136 fans at a 15 March semi-final game against HC Davos]. We have a semi-professional structure now. And we are trying to inspire other clubs as well, because only together can we grow the game of women’s hockey in Switzerland. It’s unbelievable, the commitment of EV Zug to our women’s program and for equality and empowerment. But we’re still not done yet.”
Diaz has been inspired personally by both female and male coaches, including trailblazing Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell and Dan Tagnes, who guided EV Zug’s men’s team to back-to-back Swiss NL titles in 2021 and 2022. And she clearly has a story to share in terms of preaching a crowd-pleasing style of hockey.
In total, more than 25,000 fans flocked to Zug’s arena last season to watch Diaz’s squad, featuring veterans like Swiss captain Lara Stalder and up-and-coming talents like 19-year-old Ivana Wey. EVZ also won a pair of club tournaments – the EWHL Euro Cup and the National Cup – to augment the positive vibes.
Meanwhile, the Swiss women’s national team has been spinning its wheels in the top division of the Women’s Worlds recently. It finished fifth for the second straight year in Ceske Budejovice. But the uptick in the Swiss national league holds seeds of promise. That’s vital as other elite leagues – from North America’s PWHL to Sweden’s SDHL – are continuing to experience rapid growth.
“With the women’s league in general, they have made a huge step in the last year,” Diaz said. “With EV Zug, we made new standards. We broke the spectator record [with 4,136 fans at a 15 March semi-final game against HC Davos]. We have a semi-professional structure now. And we are trying to inspire other clubs as well, because only together can we grow the game of women’s hockey in Switzerland. It’s unbelievable, the commitment of EV Zug to our women’s program and for equality and empowerment. But we’re still not done yet.”
Hosting the 2024 U18 Women’s Worlds in Zug was another major step. It was the first time this tournament has ever come to Switzerland, and Diaz revelled in the opportunity to spread hockey fever among youngsters.
“It was great to show the spectators and the people living in Zug the international level of U18 hockey. The [medal-winning] Canadians, Americans, and Czechs did very well. The program in Zug helped to bring young girls into hockey. We had last year 50 new girls starting with hockey, and we had this year again 50 new girls. It’s a lot compared to the past, of course, with great potential looking forward. It’s the right direction that we are going in, and the U18 Women’s Worlds did for sure help.”
For Diaz, it’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she represented her country at the Winter Games in Turin. It was a learning experience for the Swiss, who were limited to one goal in three preliminary-round games and had a 16-year-old Florence Schelling in net in her first of four Olympics. Diaz wore an “A” and tallied two goals and an assist in Switzerland’s 11-0 rout of host Italy in the seventh-place game.
“It was overwhelming,” Diaz recalled. “Of course, it was the first time ever that Switzerland qualified for the Olympics. So it was game-changing for women's hockey in Switzerland that we got the chance to be at the Olympics. Also, the way we qualified in China was quite special.”
“Quite special” is an understatement. In the dramatic third period of the must-win finale against the host Chinese on 14 November 2004, Diaz scored a goal and an assist before Claudia Riechsteiner added the go-ahead marker with just 24 seconds left for a 3-2 Swiss win.
Those are the kind of clutch performances that Switzerland needs if it is to return to the Olympic medal podium for the first time since its historic bronze in Sochi in 2014. Ranked fifth in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking, the Swiss are among the 10 teams that will do battle in Milan in February.
Great coaching is a big key to Olympic and pro success. So what would Diaz tell a women’s hockey player who is interested in pursuing coaching after her playing days are done?
“Have the courage to do it! Believe in yourself. I like to support young coaches, and I’m very happy in Switzerland that we have more and more former players that now are coaching as well. I remember when I started coaching, it was like one or two female coaches. Now we have female coaches within our federation and in the PostFinance Women’s League, so that’s great. I always try to be there for them, to support, to network, and to share my experience as well, giving them interesting little ideas that could help them on their way.”
“It was great to show the spectators and the people living in Zug the international level of U18 hockey. The [medal-winning] Canadians, Americans, and Czechs did very well. The program in Zug helped to bring young girls into hockey. We had last year 50 new girls starting with hockey, and we had this year again 50 new girls. It’s a lot compared to the past, of course, with great potential looking forward. It’s the right direction that we are going in, and the U18 Women’s Worlds did for sure help.”
For Diaz, it’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she represented her country at the Winter Games in Turin. It was a learning experience for the Swiss, who were limited to one goal in three preliminary-round games and had a 16-year-old Florence Schelling in net in her first of four Olympics. Diaz wore an “A” and tallied two goals and an assist in Switzerland’s 11-0 rout of host Italy in the seventh-place game.
“It was overwhelming,” Diaz recalled. “Of course, it was the first time ever that Switzerland qualified for the Olympics. So it was game-changing for women's hockey in Switzerland that we got the chance to be at the Olympics. Also, the way we qualified in China was quite special.”
“Quite special” is an understatement. In the dramatic third period of the must-win finale against the host Chinese on 14 November 2004, Diaz scored a goal and an assist before Claudia Riechsteiner added the go-ahead marker with just 24 seconds left for a 3-2 Swiss win.
Those are the kind of clutch performances that Switzerland needs if it is to return to the Olympic medal podium for the first time since its historic bronze in Sochi in 2014. Ranked fifth in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking, the Swiss are among the 10 teams that will do battle in Milan in February.
Great coaching is a big key to Olympic and pro success. So what would Diaz tell a women’s hockey player who is interested in pursuing coaching after her playing days are done?
“Have the courage to do it! Believe in yourself. I like to support young coaches, and I’m very happy in Switzerland that we have more and more former players that now are coaching as well. I remember when I started coaching, it was like one or two female coaches. Now we have female coaches within our federation and in the PostFinance Women’s League, so that’s great. I always try to be there for them, to support, to network, and to share my experience as well, giving them interesting little ideas that could help them on their way.”