Inti Pestoni (born August 8, 1991) is a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
winger who is currently playing with
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League (NL). The club was founded September 19, 1937, and is also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues). Though they have never won the leagu ...
of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
(NL).
Playing career
Brought up as a youth within the Ambri-Piotta club, Pestoni was re-signed to a further two-year contract extension on February 27, 2012, to remain under contract with Ambri until 2016.
In December 2013, Pestoni was loaned to
Genève-Servette HC
The Genève-Servette HC (also called Servette or GSHC) is a professional ice hockey club based in Geneva, Switzerland and competing in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. The team plays their home games at th ...
for the
2013 Spengler Cup
The 2013 Spengler Cup was held in Davos, Switzerland from December 26 to December 31, 2013. All matches were played at HC Davos's home known as Vaillant Arena. Six competing teams were split into two groups of three. The two groups, named Torriani ...
, which he would eventually win. He played a huge role in the title, tallying 4 points (1G/3A) in 4 games. He was again loaned to the reigning champion for the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
edition and scored 3 goals to lead Geneva to its second title. He was also named to the tournament All-Star Team.
After 8 seasons and 330 games with Ambri-Piotta, Pestoni agreed to a three-year contract with the
ZSC Lions
The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and pla ...
.
On October 5, 2016, the ZSC Lions announced that Pestoni would be suspended for five weeks due to poor physical conditions. During that span, he'll have to participate in an intensive off-ice training in order to lose weight and increase his fitness level. Pestoni eventually returned to game action on November 11, 2016, against his former team,
HC Ambrì-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League (NL). The club was founded September 19, 1937, and is also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues). Though they have never won the leagu ...
, at the
Valascia. The day after that, on November 12, 2016, Pestoni scored his first goal since his return.
In April 2018, Pestoni won the Swiss championship with the Lions, appearing in only 6 postseason games and scoring no point.
On May 23, 2018, the ZSC Lions announced that Pestoni would no longer be playing for the team -despite one year remaining on his contract- and that he could either find a new team or report to their affiliate, the
GCK Lions
Grasshopper Club Küsnacht Lions known as GCK Lions is a Swiss professional ice hockey team founded in 1932. They are currently playing in the Swiss League (SL), Switzerland's second tier ice hockey division, as the affiliate to the ZSC Lions.
Th ...
of the
Swiss League
The Swiss League is the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the National League. The winners of the league each season plays a best-of-seven series against the bottom team of the NL, and if they win, t ...
. Should he fail to sign a contract with a new organization, he would still be paid the remaining CHF 750,000 on his contract. Pestoni played 84 regular season games with Zurich (35 points) as well as 12 postseason contests (1 goal) over 2 seasons.
On June 5, 2018, Pestoni signed a one-year contract worth CHF 500,000 with
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players a ...
for the
2018–19 season with an option for the following season. Pestoni made his return to the Swiss national team while playing for Davos, appearing in two games (one goal) at the Lucern Cup in December.
On January 4, 2019, Pestoni decided to forgo his option with Davos by signing a two-year deal worth CHF 1.2 million with
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the most ...
beginning in the 2019–20 season. Despite struggling with injuries in his first season with Bern, Pestoni still managed to score 10 goals (17 points) over 36 regular season games. Pestoni entered the final year of his contract in
2020-21 with rumors that he might be returning to HC Ambri-Piotta at the end of the season. On November 24, 2020, SC Bern's GM
Florence Schelling
Florence Isabelle Schelling (born 9 March 1989) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender. She briefly served as General manager of SC Bern from 2020 to 2021. She was the first woman to be named GM of a professional men's team in th ...
told the media that Pestoni would not be returning to the team for the 2021-22 season.
On May 7, 2021, Pestoni officially returned to HC Ambri-Piotta on a four-year deal through the 2024/25 season.
Personal life
Pestoni is a huge soccer fan and roots for both the
Swiss national team and
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 season ...
.
On January 8, 2017, Pestoni missed his team's afternoon game as his girlfriend Carolina gave birth to the couple's first child.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pestoni, Inti
1991 births
Living people
HC Ambrì-Piotta players
SC Bern players
HC Davos players
ZSC Lions players
Swiss ice hockey forwards
Sportspeople from Ticino