Q&A with Sven Andrighetto

Sven Andrighetto recently played in a milestone game, suiting up in his 200th NHL contest on March 3 when the Colorado Avalanche took on the Anaheim Ducks.
Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens via a trade on March 1, 2017, Andrighetto has totaled 50 points (17 goals and 33 assists) in 118 games with the Avalanche. He had 28 goals and 50 assists in his first 200 games in the NHL.

Selected by the Canadiens in the third round (No. 86 overall) of the 2013 draft, the right wing made his NHL debut on Dec. 6, 2014 at the Dallas Stars and ended up scoring his first goal in the outing as well.
A native of Zurich, Switzerland, he has represented his home country in international play multiple times, most recently at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Andrighetto shared the team lead with nine points (two goals and seven assists) at the tournament and helped the Swiss earn a silver medal.
Andrighetto recently sat down with ColoradoAvalanche.com to talk more about his background in hockey, game days with the Avs and his unique sense of style.
How did you start playing hockey?
"My dad played, he didn't play professionally in Switzerland, but he played. My older brother--he's two years older than me--he also played so we started like that. I was on skates for the first time when I was 2 years old and ever since then I've played hockey."
Did you follow the NHL while growing up in Switzerland?
"I did. It was always huge, but when we were back home it seemed so far away, almost like untouchable. I mean we have a sports channel, but they would only show a couple highlights of two or three minutes at night if a Swiss player played. Back then, it was only Mark Streit and David Aebischer, who actually played here in Colorado. They would just show little clips, but me and my friends followed it on YouTube mostly and over the internet, that was basically it."
Do you have a favorite tournament or memory from your time representing Switzerland in international play?
"Definitely the past World Championship when we won silver; it's my favorite experience for sure. It's always an honor for me to represent my country, as it is for everyone else, but I'm really proud to be able to wear the Swiss cross on my chest and represent my country. I feel the same way now that I'm in the NHL, there's not that many guys (from Switzerland) and we're all really proud to be here. But, definitely last year when we were in Denmark and we won silver. We lost in a shootout to Sweden in the final, but that was probably my favorite memory when it comes to international play."

What was your draft experience like and did you know you were going to be selected?
"I had no clue. Seriously no clue. I got passed over in the draft, so I didn't really expect to be drafted, even though my agent told me that I was going to get drafted. The draft happened to be in New Jersey and I was there with my family in New York, but not because of the draft--I was just there for vacation. On our last day of vacation, the draft was actually happening, so we were like 'OK we'll just stop by,' and we actually went and stopped by and then I got drafted in the third round by Montreal. Obviously I was really excited and pumped, and it was a special moment because I didn't really expect it. After that, we all missed our flight home because I got drafted and then everything around it happened. It was a great experience though, for sure. It was meant to be, and it was definitely a moment I won't forget."
What is your normal game day routine like?
"It depends when the game is, but usually a normal time when the game is at 7 p.m., we have morning skate and then after that I have lunch at home and I usually take a nap for an hour to an hour and a half. Just relax during the afternoon, have a little snack and then I go to the game. I'm trying not to think too much about the game when I'm at home either, I just want to relax and be calm. Once I go to the rink, I like to be vocal and talk to my teammates. I'm not going to be the person with headphones on in the corner, you're not going to find me there. I like to be talking and interacting with my teammates."

Away from the ice, where does your fashion sense come from?
"I don't know, it's just my own I guess. Just whatever I like, I try it on and if I like it then I put it on. I'm not really thinking too much about what other people think about my style, and not everyone has to like it. If someone dislikes it, that's okay also. I'm not there to impress the other people. I'm just there to feel good about myself. If I like it, then I'm happy with it. Back in the day, I was inspired style-wise by David Beckham. Just everything, his style, what he wears, how he dresses, how he acts and stuff like that. I always looked up to him early, I still do but not too much, I do my own thing now."
Who is the best dressed player on the team and who is the worst dressed?
"I think a couple of the guys dress really well, Landy (Gabriel Landeskog) dresses well. So does Z (Nikita Zadorov), he gets a lot of heat but I like his style. He's maybe does a little too much sometimes, but he's doing it well, really good actually, I like it. I don't want to throw anyone under the bus here, so I'm not going to say any worst dressed players."
What are some things that Avalanche fans might not know about you?
"I think everyone knows already, but soccer. I love soccer, and I grew up playing soccer as well. I was pretty good at soccer, and I'm a pretty decent two-touch player. I watch a lot of soccer on the weekends if we get a chance to, especially highlights from Champions League. Besides that, I love cars. I'm really into cars, I like sport cars, whatever it is. I went to a Formula 1 race once, and it was pretty impressive with the speed and stuff like that. I love tattoos too--I'm getting a new tattoo every summer basically."