Rapperswil-Jona Lakers were founded in 1945 in the Swiss city of Rapperswil, which is situated on Lake Zurich.

They spent the first 30 years of their existence playing in the lower tiers of Swiss ice hockey before establishing themselves in National League B, Switzerland’s second tier of professional ice hockey.

Their long sought-after move into the Swiss top flight finally materialised in 1993/94, when Rapperswil-Jona Lakers were crowned NLB champions and moved into National League A for the very first time.

They spent an astonishing 20 seasons in the Swiss top flight between 1994 and 2014 before dropping down to the second tier for the 2015/16 season. They returned to the National League, the new name for National League A, in time for the 2018/19 season and have remained there ever since.

Though they have never won the Swiss championship, the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers won the Swiss Cup in 2017/18, one of their biggest sporting achievements to date.

The St.Galler Kantonalbank Arena, the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers’ home arena, is located directly on Lake Zurich and was reconstructed in 2006. The capacity of the arena is 6,100 fans and has been a hub for fans and players since 1987 when it was constructed. 

In 2022 they qualified for their first-ever CHL season. Rapperswil beat Slovan Bratislava twice, took Red Bull Munich to OT and beat eventual CHL Champions Tappara Tampere in their debut season, but unfortunately failed to make it to the Playoffs. 

A third-place finish in the NL regular season secured them qualification for 2023/24.