Jacob Leo Lucchini (born May 9, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by teams in the NHL, Lucchini has also previously played for the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild.
| Jake Lucchini | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 9, 1995 Trail, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Nashville Predators Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) Ottawa Senators Minnesota Wild | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Playing career
editLucchini played junior hockey for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) After junior, he played college hockey for Michigan Tech Huskies for four seasons. Lucchini was a member of two WCHA championship teams and co-captained the Huskies in his senior year.[1] Not drafted by the NHL, he attended the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp in 2018 and was signed to an entry-level contract. He played two seasons for the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
During the 2019–20 season, while with Wilkes-Barre, Lucchini was traded by the Penguins along with Joseph Blandisi to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Phil Varone and Riley Barber on February 20, 2020. He was immediately reassigned by the Canadiens and played for their AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket.[2]
In 2021, after remaining with the Rocket on an AHL contract, he was later traded by Laval to the Ottawa Senators AHL affiliate Belleville Senators.[3] He had what was considered a "breakout" season with Belleville, scoring 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 72 games.[1] As a free agent, he was signed to a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Ottawa Senators on July 13, 2022, although he was later assigned to Belleville.[4] During the 2022–23 season, Lucchini was called up to the NHL Senators and made his NHL debut on December 14, 2022, against the Canadiens.[5][1] He scored the first NHL goal of his career on January 1, 2023, against the Buffalo Sabres.[6] Lucchini was returned to Belleville after eleven games with Ottawa.[7]
As a free agent from the Senators, Lucchini was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild for the 2023–24 season on July 1, 2023.[8] He attended the Wild's 2023 training camp but failed to make the team. He was placed on waivers but went unclaimed and was assigned to Minnesota's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, to begin the 2023–24 season.[9] He was recalled on December 23 by Minnesota and made his debut for the team that night versus the Boston Bruins.[10] He made a career best 40 appearances for the Wild over the course of the season, notching 2 goals and 5 points.
Leaving the Wild at the conclusion of his contract, Lucchini was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators on July 1, 2024.[11]
Personal
editLucchini is the son of Sandy and John Lucchini. His younger brother Jeremy also played for the Trail Smoke Eaters in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and the two played one season together. Jeremy is now a professional player in Europe. His grandfather Leo Lucchini was a member of the Edmonton Mercurys that won the 1950 IIHF World Championship.[12]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Beaver Valley NiteHawks | KIJHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Beaver Valley NiteHawks | KIJHL | 9 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | 55 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | 55 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | 58 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Michigan Tech | WCHA | 37 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Michigan Tech | WCHA | 45 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Michigan Tech | WCHA | 44 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Michigan Tech | WCHA | 38 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 15 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 53 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 28 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 72 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 61 | 19 | 34 | 53 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 30 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 40 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 51 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| BCHL | ||
| Second All-Star Team | 2015 | [13] |
| College | ||
| WCHA All-Rookie Team | 2016 | [12] |
| WCHA Champions | 2017, 2018 | [13] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Former MTU Captain Lucchini makes NHL debut tonight". uppermichiganssource.com. TV6. December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Canadiens acquire forwards Lucchini and Blandisi from Penguins". Montreal Canadiens. February 20, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Belleville Senators acquire Jake Lucchini from Laval". bellevillesenators.com (Press release). Belleville Senators. October 12, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Senators sign forward Jake Lucchini to one-year, two-way NHL contract extension". Belleville Senators. July 13, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Garrioch, Bruce (December 14, 2022). "Garrioch: Tim Stutzle's shoulder injury isn't serious but he'll miss at least a week". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Warren, Ken (January 1, 2023). "Lucchini scores winning goal as Senators rebound with big New Year's Day victory". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "Sens place F Lucchini on waivers". TSN. January 17, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Wild signs forwards Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini". Minnesota Wild. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Wild Reduces Training Camp Roster to 31". Minnesota Wild. October 1, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Loucks, Dylan (December 23, 2023). "Jake Lucchini Excited to make Wild debut tonight vs Bruins". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ "Predators agree to terms with four free agents". Nashville Predators. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Jake Lucchini - Michigan Tech Athletics". Michigan Tech University. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Jake Lucchini". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database, or TSN.ca