Veteran Bisons forward Andre Sutter has had a breadth of experiences as a hockey player. The game has taken him to variety of different places, and he's been asked to contribute in a variety of ways. In each and every situation, Sutter has embraced what's in front of him, doing whatever is needed to help his team.
 
"I've been in scenarios throughout my career where I wasn't necessarily the best player on my team, and wasn't in that role where I was playing every night. I just try to stay positive, keep improving and look at the bigger picture," he said.
 
"I try to help my teammates by staying accountable, and making sure we're doing everything we can to prepare for games, and adapt to that role of being the hardest working."
 
A British Columbia native, the 5'8" Sutter grew up playing his minor hockey in the Comox Valley. His dad is Swiss, and Andre is a dual-citizen, so in 2014, he chose to push himself out of his comfort zone by participating in an exchange program.
 
Sutter went to school in Switzerland and played at the U15 level for Pikes Oberthurgau, contributing 25 total points.
 
"It was definitely hard the first time when I was 14. It's a new culture and a new language. Luckily people there do speak English. It was a bit easier having family and having visited there already, it made the adjustment a lot easier. It made me mature super quick and made me become independent. I took the train an hour to practice. There would be a group of five of us," Sutter recalled.
 
"It was super interesting. They have the pro system, so the pro teams run the junior teams. It was really neat to see how the pros acted and how they trained. I even got to practice with them and work out with them a few times, so it was a really cool experience."
 
After two years back home in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, Sutter returned to Switzerland, beginning with the 2018-19 season. Suiting up at the Elite Junior A, and U20 Elit levels, he contributed 52 points over multiple campaigns.
 
Sutter got to play in the pro rinks in the country, and took in a number of pro games where there were upwards of 8,000 raucous fans singing songs the whole game. The playing style was different than that of North America, with a larger focus on speed, skill and technique due to the bigger ice surface.
 
"It was super cool to play in the big rinks, and getting to watch the pro teams and the atmosphere. I got to go to the Spengler Cup to watch. Our pro team was playing in the tournament. It was phenomenal to see the atmosphere. Everyone is singing the songs. It gives you chills," said Sutter.
 
"The team I was on was trying to fight for a playoff spot and avoid relegation, so there was that expectation that the group of us that was brought in, we were there to win hockey games. It was super fun though. I enjoy the pressure and being able to help the team win. We were able to avoid relegation in all the seasons I was there."
 
Sutter's previous experience living in the country made his second stint a lot easier. But there were still adjustments that needed to be made.
 
"That whole experience when I was younger made it a lot easier when I went back the next time, because I wasn't in school. The pure focus was hockey and I was quite a bit older. [The second] time I was in the Italian part of Switzerland, so a totally new language," Sutter reflected.
 
"We had a Czech coach who didn't speak any English, and spoke very broken German. We had an assistant coach translate. There were four of us who didn't speak Italian. I got to learn Italian over the two years that I was in that region of Switzerland. It's definitely made the transition to university super easy. Because I had that experience, it was really only school that I had to worry about overcoming."


 
'I like to play bigger than I am'
After returning home, Sutter did his research in preparing to play university hockey. He wanted to attend a school with a strong culture, but he also wanted to feel fulfilled in school.
 
The University of Manitoba fit the bill.
 
Sutter walked on to the Bisons hockey program, earning his spot with hard work and diligence. He's played in 22 games since 2022, embodying the character and commitment that Bisons hockey is all about.
 
"Being one of the smaller players on the ice, I have to pick and choose my battles. I like to play bigger than I am," he said.
 
"I play with a lot of grit and heart. I like to think a couple of steps ahead and be smarter than my opponent and make an impact in any way that I can, whether it be getting a hit in, or making mature plays and doing a lot of the little things, especially now that I'm older."
 
In the classroom, Sutter will graduate this coming year from the Asper School of Business. He's gotten everything he could've wanted and more out of the student-athlete experience.
 
"The one big thing is the people I've met along the way, whether it's in the Asper School of Business, or the alumni network here within the Bisons hockey program here and its Asper grads," he beamed.
 
"It's been super easy to pick up the phone and call one of the alumni. They're willing to sit down and share their experiences. That's something I'm trying to embrace now that I'm towards the end of my degree, giving that same experience to the younger players like others have done for me."
 
Sutter's had a storybook finish to his senior year, recording a career-high three points in his final trip back home to BC as a Bison earlier this season. Suiting up against perennial contender UBC, he netted two goals and an assist in a 7-5 loss.
 
Sutter's first goal of the game was a microcosm of his playing style.
 
Defenceman Evan Toth dumped the puck from the Bisons end into the attacking zone, and Sutter got on his horse, racing 200 feet down the ice to secure the puck after it bounced past UBC's goalie who was trying to clear the puck from behind his net. From there, he back-handed the biscuit into the open cage from an odd angle.
 
"Since I'm graduating this year, I knew it could be my last competitive hockey game in BC. It was super special to have my family there. It was just about doing what I could to help the team win, and having fun with it," said Sutter.
 
"Our line had a lot of great pressure. We were sticking to our systems and the puck bounced our way. My line mates did a lot of the work on those goals. A couple of lucky puck bounces, but it was definitely really fun to play that last weekend in BC."