Luca Cereda (born September 7, 1981) is a retired Swiss 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 |
(1981-09-07) September 7, 1981 (age 41) 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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
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.
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.....
Preceded by | Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft pick 1999 |
Succeeded by |
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