HC Ambrì-Piotta were founded in 1937 in the valley villages of Ambrì and Piotta, in the canton of Ticona, Switzerland. Even though the combined population of these alpine villages, located high up in the mountains, is no more than a thousand inhabitants, they have little problem filling their iconic stadium – The Valascia, located 1000 meters above sea level, every match day, as thousands of fans travel to support the club from afar. 

They are one of the oldest clubs in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland and together with arch-rivals HC Lugano from the south, they divide up the support of all hockey fans in the region. Their Italian victory hymn is a traditional mountain song, that is widely known in the region and is part of Italian alpine culture.

The “Biancoblù,” – the white and blue, as they are nicknamed, have been National League regulars since their promotion in 1985. Although they have never won the Swiss top flight, they won the regular season in 1998/1999 and made it all the way to the playoff final, where they eventually lost to bitter rivals HC Lugano.

Last season they finished fifth, which was a big improvement over their eleventh-place finish the previous season but also gave the club their first ever CHL qualification.