Luca Sbisa

Lore & Background

Luca Sbisa began his hockey career with EV Zug in Switzerland before moving to Canadian major junior hockey with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. He was drafted 19th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2008 and made his NHL debut that same season. Over his career, Sbisa played for the Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets, and Nashville Predators.

Sbisa joined the Vegas Golden Knights after being left exposed by the Vancouver Canucks and selected in the 2017 NHL expansion draft. He played for the Golden Knights during the 2017–18 season. After not being re-signed by Vegas, he attended the New York Islanders training camp on a professional tryout and later signed a one-year contract with them. Sbisa also represented Switzerland in multiple international tournaments, including the 2010 Winter Olympics and several IIHF World Championships.

Reader's Guide

Luca Sbisa's tenure with the Vegas Golden Knights was brief but notable as part of the team's inaugural roster. Selected in the 2017 expansion draft, he contributed to the Golden Knights' historic first season, which saw them reach the Stanley Cup Finals. His career path illustrates the journey of a first-round draft pick who played for seven NHL teams, with his selection by Vegas marking a key moment in the expansion team's formation. Sbisa later transitioned into coaching, becoming the development coach for the San Jose Sharks. His international experience with Switzerland, including Olympic and World Championship appearances, adds to his profile as a player who competed at high levels both in North America and abroad. The expansion draft selection underscores the strategic roster-building that defined the Golden Knights' early success.

Did You Know?

• Luca Sbisa was born in Ozieri, Sardinia, Italy, and moved to Switzerland at age one.
• Sbisa speaks four languages: English, German, Italian, and French.
• He and his wife climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2016.

From Sardinia to the NHL: An Unlikely Path

Luca Sbisa's journey to professional hockey began in the most unexpected of places. Born on 30 January 1990 in Ozieri, a small city on the Italian island of Sardinia, he was the first son of Massimo and Isabella Sbisa, with a sister Chiara two years his senior. The family relocated to Oberägeri, Switzerland, when he was just one year old. At age three, his parents brought him to watch an EV Zug game, and that single evening planted the seed for an entire career. He eventually broke into EV Zug's roster, making his Swiss National League A debut during the 2006–07 campaign, and also suited up for EHC Seewen in the lower Swiss division. In the summer of 2007, the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League selected him in the CHL import draft, and he also spent time with the Portland Winterhawks. His major-junior work caught the eye of the Philadelphia Flyers, who took him 19th overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He inked a three-year entry-level deal on 1 October 2008 and made his NHL debut that same season before heading back to Lethbridge to finish the year.

A Journeyman's Career Across the League

Sbisa's NHL career was defined by constant movement. After being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in June 2009 as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Chris Pronger to Philadelphia, he spent three seasons in California, including a brief stint with the Syracuse Crunch before signing a four-year, $8.7 million extension in March 2011. In June 2014, he was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks alongside Nick Bonino in exchange for Ryan Kesler, and the following spring he locked in a three-year, $10.8 million extension. When Vancouver left him exposed in the 2017 expansion draft, the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him. After Vegas chose not to re-sign him, he earned a spot with the New York Islanders through a professional try-out in the 2018 off-season. His next stop was a brief return to Anaheim in October 2019, only to be waived and claimed by the Winnipeg Jets, where he finally scored his first goal since the 2017–18 campaign. A waiver claim by the Nashville Predators in January 2021 marked the end of his playing days, and he has since transitioned into coaching as a development coach for the San Jose Sharks.

Representing Switzerland on the World Stage

Despite being born on Italian soil, Sbisa has always identified as Swiss in the hockey world. His family's move to Oberägeri when he was an infant meant he grew up entirely within the Swiss system, and it was the national team of Switzerland that he represented in international competition. Over the course of his career, he suited up for his country at multiple IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, carrying the Swiss flag on the world stage. His most prominent international appearance came at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the Swiss squad ultimately finished in eighth place. That tournament would also prove personally significant, as it was where he met Lauren Anaka, his future wife. Sbisa's unique cultural position—born in Sardinia, raised in Switzerland, and having spent years in Canadian and American hockey—gave him a rare linguistic and cultural breadth. He is fluent in four languages: English, German, Italian, and French, a skill set that naturally complemented his ability to navigate the multilingual world of professional hockey across three continents.

Life Beyond the Rink

Off the ice, Sbisa built a life that reflected the same adventurous spirit he brought to his hockey career. He met his future wife, Lauren Anaka, during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the two connected amid the buzz of international competition. Their relationship blossomed over the following years, and on 9 July 2016, they exchanged vows. Just a month later, the couple embarked on a shared dream: scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, an achievement they both cited as a defining personal milestone. In June 2017, Lauren gave birth to the couple's first child, adding a new dimension to Sbisa's life as he continued to travel between teams. Growing up as the second child of Massimo and Isabella Sbisa, with a sister Chiara two years his senior, he carried a close-knit family dynamic into adulthood. His fluency in English, German, Italian, and French gave him a natural ease in the multicultural environments of professional hockey. After hanging up his skates, he found a new purpose in the San Jose Sharks' organization as a development coach, passing on the experience he accumulated across seven NHL franchises.

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