Luca Cereda (born September 7, 1981) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his first training camp with the Leafs, Cereda was diagnosed with a heart murmur due to a defect in his aortic valve.[1][2] Apart from exhibition games[3] with the Leafs before the diagnosis, he never appeared in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. After his recovery from his heart surgery, he played in the Leafs' minor league team for a few years and returned to Switzerland in 2004 to play in the National League instead. He ended his playing career in 2008 due to heart problems and began coaching.[4] In 2017, Cereda succeeded Gordie Dwyer to become the head coach of HC Ambrì-Piotta.[4][5]
| Luca Cereda | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 7, 1981 Sementina, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| NHL Draft |
24th overall, 1999 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1998–2007 | ||
Career statistics edit
Regular season and playoffs edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | SUI U20 | 35 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | SUI U20 | 28 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | GDT Bellinzona | SUI.5 | ||||||||||||
| 1998–99 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | SUI U20 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 38 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1998–99 | GDT Bellinzona | SUI.4 | ||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | SUI U20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NLA | 43 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 71 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2002–03 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 78 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | SC Bern | NLA | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | SC Bern | NLA | 37 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NLA | 42 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 51 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NLA | 30 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NDA/NLA totals | 199 | 18 | 49 | 67 | 123 | 57 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | ||||
| AHL totals | 171 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 57 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||||
International edit
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Switzerland | EJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1999 | Switzerland | WJC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 1999 | Switzerland | WJC18 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 10 | |
| 2000 | Switzerland | WJC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | |
| 2003 | Switzerland | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Switzerland | WC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 26 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 38 | |||
| Senior totals | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
References edit
- ^ "Leafs' prospect may require surgery for heart valve". CBC Sports. 27 September 2000. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
A heart murmur was detected during training camp and it was later determined to be a faulty leaflet in the aortic valve which pumps blood from the heart.
- ^ Shoalts, David (23 September 2000). "Heart murmur sidelines Cereda". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
There are three main valves in the aorta, which is the main trunk of the systemic arteries that carry blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs. The faulty valve is not functioning.
- ^ "Sundin scores OT winner as Leafs beat Oilers". CBC Sports. 15 September 2000. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
Three rookies -- Don Maclean, Adam Mair and Luca Cereda -- all scored power-play goals but it was captain Mats Sundin who clinched a 4-3 Leaf victory.....
- ^ a b "Actualité - Ambri confirme Luca Cereda en tant que coach". Planète Hockey (in Swiss French). 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
- ^ "Confirmed - Luca Cereda is HC Ambrì-Piotta's new head coach". swisshockeynews.ch. H. C. Ambrì-Piotta. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
 | This Swiss biographical article relating to ice hockey is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |