Canadian forward Drake Caggiula, who turns 31 on
June 20, has signed a one-year contract with Lausanne HC, the
National League club announced on Monday.
“We
are very pleased to welcome Drake to Lausanne,”
said club sports director John Fust. “He
is an experienced player with a solid track record in
North America.
Beyond his offensive skills and intensity on the ice, he will bring
true leadership to the locker room.”
Caggiula,
who
hails from Pickering, Ont and played four seasons for the
University of North Dakota, was never drafted by an NHL team and
signed as a free agent with the Edmonton
Oilers in 2016.
Between
2016 and 2025, Caggiula played 289 NHL regular-season games with the
Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks,
Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres
and Pittsburgh Penguins,
recording 92 points and 141 penalty minutes. He also played 21
playoff games with Edmonton and Chicago, registering six points and
27 penalty minutes.
Last
season, he played seven NHL games in his second tour of duty with
Edmonton and spent the rest of the season with the AHL’s
Bakersfield Condors.
Danish Ex-Oiler Signs In Germany
Danish forward Patrick Russell, 32, has signed a contract to play
with Kölner Haie, the DEL club announced on
Friday. Terms of the agreement were not specified.
This
is Caggiula’s first tour of duty in Europe. He
joins
a Lausanne team that has been one of Switzerland’s best the past
few years and wants to win a title this year under
reigning coach of the year Geoff Ward. Last season the team
finished first in the regular season and has lost in the finals each
of the past two seasons to the ZSC Lions.
In addition to Caggiula,
Lausanne has under contract for 2025-26 goaltenders Connor
Hughes and Antoine Keller, as well as Swedish
defenseman Erik
Brännström, American Austin
Czarnik, German Dominik
Kahun, and Finns Janne
Kuokkanen, and Antti Suomela, Lauri Pajuniemi and Sami
Niku.
Photo © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images: Drake Caggiula playing for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 pre-season.
Erik Brännström Signs Multi-Year Deal In Switzerland
Swedish defenseman Erik Brännström, 25, has signed a three-year
contract with Lausanne HC, the National League club announced on
Monday.
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