Just days after the team saved its position in Switzerland’s National League by defeating HC Ajoie in a playout series, HC Lugano parted ways with head coach Uwe Krupp and several notable players, including goaltender Adam Húska, defenseman Valtteri Pulli, and forwards Mark Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Radim Zohorna and Aleksi Peltonen.
For the most part, it was a forgettable season for Lugano, a club that was once a perennial contender for the national title, but this year finished 13th out of 14 teams. In October, the club signed former NHL defenseman Justin Schultz, who then retired after playing only eight games.
In January, with Lugano sitting second-to-last in the standings, the club cleaned house, firing head coach Luca Gianinazzi and GM Hnat Domenichelli and bringing in Krupp to coach the team. The team’s fortunes didn’t improve significantly, although it did rebound from an 0-2 deficit to win the best-of-seven playout series in six games against Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Anttoni Honka and Ajoie.
“In an increasingly delicate on-ice, mental, and emotional environment, Krupp managed to unite the group and lead the team to safety with his experience and coaching skills,” the club’s announcement said.
As for what the future holds for some of the players, it was reported in February that multiple NHL teams are reportedly interested in Pulli and Zohorna is rumored to be heading to Czech club Kometa Brno along with brother Tomáš.
