The Seventh Import Player is Joey LaLeggia

Hockey Club Lugano announces the signing of Canadian defenseman Joey LaLeggia, born in Burnaby (British Columbia) on June 24, 1992, with a contract valid for two seasons.

A "left" defenseman (178 cm, 84 kg), the almost 31-year-old stood out in his youth in the BCHL, where, with the Penticton Vees jersey, he was twice the defenseman with the most points in the league (65, 82 points).

Between 2011 and 2015, LaLeggia played in the NCAA (156 games, 131 points), wearing the colors of Denver University, with which he won the title in the 2013/14 season and was simultaneously awarded the best defensive and best offensive defenseman awards in the NCAA. The following season (2014/15), he confirmed these personal awards, adding the Player of the Year title.

After signing his first professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in 2012, LaLeggia spent five years in the AHL, where his offensive skills gradually emerged, with an overall statistic of 0.55 points per game (67 goals, 111 assists) in the 326 games played with the Oklahoma City Barons, Bakersfield Condors, and San Antonio Rampage. For some periods, Joey was also deployed as a left winger.

Arriving in Europe, he played between 2020 and 2023 in the top Swedish league (131 games, 31 goals, 57 assists, 88 points), first with Rögle BK (playoff finalist), then with Timra IK and HV 71. In the last season, LaLeggia was the defenseman with the most goals (18) in the Swedish Hockey League.

These are the words of HCL General Manager Hnat Domenichelli:
"Joey is a two-way defenseman with excellent skating. He has good vision and plays with energy. He exercised an opt-out clause from his contract with the Swedish club where he played last season, and this made the agreement possible without any financial compensation from Lugano. We look forward to welcoming him and his family."