Luca Cereda

Luca Cereda (b. September 7th 1981 in Bellinzona, Switzerland) is a former professional centre who played in the Nationalliga A with HC Ambri-Piotta and SC Bern.

The highly promising centre was drafted 24th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft after having posted 16 points (6 goals and 10 assists) in 38 games as a 17 years old rookie in the NLA with Ambri-Piotta. He was praised by many hockey experts, and former National Hockey League coach Pierre Pagé said that Cereda was the smartest player drafted that year. Unfortunately for him, a heart surgery had to keep him out of play for the whole 2000-01 season. The next one, he began playing in the American Hockey League with the St. John's Maple Leafs, Toronto,s affiliate club; he would play two seasons there, plus 22 games of a third one, collecting 12 goals and 26 assists; however, Cereda was back in Switzerland before the end of the 2003-04 season, having signed with Bern. Cereda came back in Ambri-Piotta in 2005; his health condition forced him to retire in 2007.

Cereda took part in several international competitions for the Swiss National Team; he fared very good during his tenure with the U20 and U18 teams and was sometimes referenced to as a man among boys.