Steelheads add forward Anthony Luciani

Boise, ID (9/13/16) – Steelheads Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Neil Graham announced on Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms on an ECHL contract with forward Anthony Luciani for the 2016-17 season.

Luciani, 26, joins the Steelheads for his sixth professional season, having played in the American Hockey League, the ECHL, and in Europe during his career. The Maple, Ontario native split the 2015-16 campaign in Europe between Sparta Sarpsborg of the GET League in Norway and Asiago HC in Italy, collecting 21 goals and 47 points in just 34 games between the two clubs. He also added seven goals and 13 points in 11 playoff games.

The 5-foot-8 winger last played in the ECHL during the 2014-15 season, when he totaled 28 goals and 69 points in 65 games with the Toledo Walleye and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. In 198 career ECHL games with the Walleye, Swamp Rabbits, and Cincinnati Cyclones, Luciani has scored 87 goals and registered 187 points, averaging .944 points per game.

“Anthony is a very dynamic player who is going to bring offense to our lineup,” said Graham. “He has a very good shot and is very tough to defend. He also brings a lot of speed to the game and an element of excitement every night.”

Luciani was named the ECHL’s Rookie of the Month in December of 2011 with the Cyclones and the ECHL’s Player of the Month in January 2014 with the Walleye.

A former member of the Florida Panthers’ organization, Luciani has played 19 career AHL games with the Rochester Americans and San Antonio Rampage, notching five goals and seven points.  Luciani played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League before turning pro at the end of the 2010-11 season. In 181 games with the Erie Otters, Luciani scored 73 goals and 160 points.