Jacob Leo Lucchini (born May 9, 1995) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) while under contract to the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Originally

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by teams in the NHL, Lucchini has also previously played for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

and

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

Playing career

Amateur

Lucchini played

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

for the

Trail Smoke Eaters The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). History The Smoke Eaters (aka ''Smokies'') have existed as both junior and senior teams si ...

of the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

(BCHL). With Trail, scored 48 goals, 69 assists for 117

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

in 168 games. He played

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

for

Michigan Tech Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...

Huskies Husky is a general term for a type of dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies ...

of the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a me ...

(WCHA) for four seasons. In his first season with the Huskies in 2015–16 season He recorded seven goals and 17 points in 37 games and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team. In his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

season in 2016–17 he appeared in 45 games, scoring 11 goals and 22 points. In his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

season in 2017–18 season Lucchini was named an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

and scored 16 goals and 39 points in 44 games, leading the team in scoring. He was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team. Lucchini played on two Michigan Tech championship teams. He was named co-

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Huskies in his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year, and scored 11 goals and 26 points in 38 games.

Professional

While at Michigan Tech, Lucchini attended both the

(NHL)

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

' prospect training camps. However, he went undrafted by NHL teams. After completing his senior season with Michigan Tech, he signed an entry-level contract with the Penguins. He was assigned to Pittsburgh's

(AHL) affiliate, the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...

, for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. He scored six goals and seven points in 15 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He began the 2019–20 season with Wilkes-Barre, appearing in 53 games, recording seven goals and 15 points. On February 20, 2020, Lucchini was traded by the Penguins along with Joseph Blandisi to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

in exchange for forwards Phil Varone and

Riley Barber Riley Barber (born February 7, 1994) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing under contract with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Barber was selected by the Washington Capi ...

. He was immediately reassigned by the Canadiens to their AHL affiliate, the

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket () are a professional ice hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. The Rocket play ...

. He finished the season playing in eight games, scoring four goals and five points, before the AHL suspended the season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on March 12. In the 2020 offseason, Lucchini signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens. He was assigned to Laval for the pandemic-shortened

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

season and appeared in 28 games, scoring three goals and six points. Ahead of the 2021–22 season, Lucchini was traded by Laval to the

Belleville Senators The Belleville Senators (colloquially known as the B-Sens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belleville, Ontario. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators. The Senators pl ...

, the AHL affiliate of the

, for future considerations. He had what was considered a "breakout" season with Belleville, scoring 20 goals and 51 points in 72 games. Belleville qualified for the

2022 Calder Cup playoffs The 2022 Calder Cup playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Hockey League (AHL) to determine the winner of the Calder Cup, which is awarded to the AHL playoff champions. 2022 marked the return of postseason play for the AHL after ...

and in two games, Lucchini recorded one assist. As an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, Lucchini was signed to a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Ottawa Senators on July 13, 2022. After attending Ottawa's training camp, he was placed on waivers and after going unclaimed, was assigned to Belleville. During the season, Lucchini was called up to Ottawa and made his NHL debut on December 14, 2022, against the Canadiens. He scored the first NHL goal of his career on January 1, 2023, against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

. Lucchini was returned to Belleville after eleven games with Ottawa. He finished the season with 19 goals and 53 points in 61 games with Belleville and one goal in 11 games with Ottawa. As an unrestricted free agent from the Senators, Lucchini was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the

for the season on July 1, 2023. 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 The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena. The ...

, to begin the 2023–24 season. He was recalled on December 23 by Minnesota and made his debut for the team that night versus the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

. After skating in four games going scoreless, he was returned to Iowa before being recalled to replace the injured Connor Dewar on January 20, 2024. He played in four more games before returning to Iowa again. His stay in Iowa was short-lived as he was once again recalled by Minnesota on February 5. He scored his first goal for Minnesota in a 2–1 win over the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

on February 7. He made a career best 40 appearances for Minnesota over the course of the season, notching two goals and five points. In 30 games with Iowa he registered 11 goals and 23 points. Leaving the Wild at the conclusion of his contract, Lucchini was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the

on July 1, 2024. He was assigned to Nashville's AHL affiliate, the

, to start the 2024–25 season. He was recalled by Nashville on March 1, 2025 and made his Predators debut that night in a game against the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Personal

Lucchini is the son of Sandy and John Lucchini. His younger brother Jeremy also played for the

in the

(BCHL) and the two played one season together. Jeremy is now a professional player in Europe. His grandfather

Leo Lucchini Leo Oswald Lucchini (August 12, 1927 – August 4, 1991) was a Canadian ice hockey player with the Edmonton Mercurys. He won a gold medal at the 1950 World Ice Hockey Championships in London, England. The 1950 Edmonton Mercurys team was induc ...

was a member of the

Edmonton Mercurys The Edmonton Mercurys were a Canadian intermediate-level senior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, during the 1940s and 1950s. The team represented the Canada men's national ice hockey team twice, winning the 1950 World Ice Hocke ...

that won the 1950

IIHF World Championship The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey tour ...

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucchini, Jake 1995 births Living people Belleville Senators players Iowa Wild players Laval Rocket players Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players Milwaukee Admirals players Minnesota Wild players Nashville Predators players Ottawa Senators players Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL) players Undrafted National Hockey League players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Canadian ice hockey forwards