Siegenthaler Dreams for Thai Kids to 'Dream Big' | FEATURE

Jonas Siegenthaler sat inside the locker room of a rink in Chiang Mai last summer during his inaugural hockey camp in Thailand when a young girl approached him.

The Thai youth, roughly 6 years old, looked at Siegenthaler and said, “Hey, coach Jonas. One day I want to play in the NHL as well.”

And that moment was exactly why Siegenthaler, who is the first NHL player of Thai decent, had decided to conduct a hockey school in a country where hockey is starting to take root.

“It was such a beautiful moment. That moment was probably one of the most beautiful moments at that camp,” recalled Siegenthaler, who is the first NHL player to host a camp in Thailand. “The interest there is growing every year. It’s a small hockey community. It’s a hard sport for Thai people to play because financially you have to be very stable. A lot of people in Thailand don’t have that money, which makes it harder to get more kids into hockey.

“My goal is just to be there, show them what hockey is, to grow the game and be there for them.”

Siegenthaler’s connection to Thailand comes via his mother, who is full Thai. While Siegenthaler grew up in Switzerland, the homeland of his father, he visited his family in Thailand frequently during his youth and has a strong connection to the country and culture.

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“Even as a young kid we always went to Thailand to my mom’s hometown,” he said. “We spent summer vacation there. It was always the coolest thing to see my cousins, my aunties, my granny. It was always nice to see them. Even though I don’t speak fluent Thai, I was able to communicate with them, with my hands and (motions).”

Siegenthaler, who visits his parents yearly at their home in Hua Hin, Thainland, has seen the interest in hockey increase in the country. In his youth, Thai children didn’t even know what hockey was. Today, rinks are being built, and participation and access is expanding. Hockey is still in the very beginning stages of growth in the country, and Siegenthaler wanted to help strengthen its progress.

Two summers ago, Siegenthaler concocted the idea of holding a hockey camp in Thailand. And this past June the first Jonas Siegenthaler Ice Hockey Summer Camp was held. The three-day camp hosted dozens of U11 and U15 players.

“I always wanted to do something in Thailand. For me, Thailand is important,” he said. “It’s my second home. This past summer we finally did it. Everything was well organized. I just got there, had to go on the ice, lace my skates and do a couple practices with them.

“It was such a beautiful time spending it with the kids. They were so interested. They were all in. They were curious about North America, about the NHL, about hockey. It was pretty nice for them and for me.”

The camp was held in Chiang Mai, a city in the northern part of the country, in the recently built Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena. It’s a first-rate facility that opened in October 2023, and another sign of the development of the sport.

“When I arrived, I was surprised they had such a good rink,” he said. “The rink is there all year around. They practice a lot there and play games as well.”

To make the camp even more special, Siegenthaler’s mother was by his side the whole time.

“She was very happy,” he smiled. “In Thai culture and in the religion, it’s always good to give something back. That’s what made her even more proud.”

The camp was well attended. The children were given jerseys with a ‘Siegenthaler’ nameplate and his No. 71 on the back. The front of the jersey featured the letters: JS. The seven-year NHL veteran put the children through various drills on the ice and each child earned a camp certificate at the end. For many of the kids, the interaction with Siegenthaler was their first contact with an NHL player.

“Not a lot of kids knew me before, but they knew the NHL. They knew North America,” he said. “I remember when I was a little kid. A pro hockey player came to a camp, it was one of the coolest things. As a little boy you get so excited. It’s one of the best feelings.

“I always knew I wanted to give that back to young kids. This year I was able to do it in Thailand and Switzerland as well. It was a very successful camp and I’m planning to do it as well in the future.”

For those Thai children this past summer and those in the future, seeing is believing. If they see a Thai player like Siegenthaler make it to the NHL, there is no reason why one of them can’t be the next Thai player to make it.

Siegenthaler’s presence was enough to make one little girl believe. And that moment made all the work and effort worth it.

“It’s not easy but I think my ultimate goal is for kids from Thailand, to make them dream big. I want them to have dreams and to chase them,” Siegenthaler said. “At the end, maybe in 10 years you’ll see a Thai hockey player in the NHL.

“Maybe I was the reason for it.”