Luca Sbisa

Luca Sbisa (born 30 January 1990) is an Italian-born Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks, as well as their respective American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates. Sbisa played major junior hockey in Canada with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) before being selected by the Flyers in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut that year before returning to Lethbridge.
Sbisa has also played for Switzerland in multiple international tournaments, including several International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Ice Hockey World Championships as well as the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Personal life

Sbisa was born in Ozieri, a city on the island of Sardinia, Italy, the first son and second child of Massimo and Isabella Sbisa. He has a sister, Chiara, who is two years older. The Sbisa family moved to Oberägeri, Switzerland, when he was one. At the age of three, his parents took him to a game of EV Zug which made him want to become a hockey player. Sbisa speaks four languages: English, German, Italian and French. On July 9th, 2016, Sbisa married long-time girlfriend, Lauren Anaka Sbisa. The two met while he was competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In August 2016 they reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, citing this as major dream and personal achievement for the pair.

Playing career

Sbisa was drafted 19th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. On 1 October 2008, Sbisa signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers. Prior to his entry into the NHL, Sbisa started his hockey career with EV Zug in Switzerland. In the 2006–07 season, he made his debut for that club in the Swiss National League A (NLA). Later, he played with the EHC Seewen in the Swiss Liga. In the summer of 2007, he was drafted in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)'s annual import draft to the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Sbisa joined the Flyers for the start of the 2008–09 season, playing 39 games before being returned to the Hurricanes to complete the season. He returned to the Flyers to play in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. He replaced Daniel Carcillo on a line when Carcillo was suspended for taking a hit on the Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Maxime Talbot during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals. He was widely regarded as one of the Flyers' top prospects during his tenure in Philadelphia.

At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, on 26 June 2009, Sbisa was traded, along with Joffrey Lupul and Philadelphia's 2009 and 2010 first-round picks, to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle.

Sbisa played for Switzerland in the 2010 Winter Olympics, where the Swiss finished in eighth place.

On 16 October 2010, the Ducks sent Sbisa down to their then-American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, later recalling him on 10 November. Later in the 2010–11 season, on 8 March 2011, Sbisa signed a four-year contract extension with the Ducks, worth $8.7 million with a yearly cap hit of $2.175 million.

On 27 June 2014, Sbisa was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, along with teammate Nick Bonino and a first- and third-round pick in 2014, in exchange for Ryan Kesler and a third-round pick in 2015. On 8 April 2015 the Canucks signed Sbisa to a three-year extension worth $10.8 million.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs