Canadian defenseman Justin Schultz, 34, has signed to play the rest of the season in Switzerland with HC Lugano, the National League club announced on Wednesday.
“Justin is a two-way defenseman,” said Lugano GM and former NHLer Hnat Domenichelli. “We are confident that his experience will help us during the second part of the season.”
Originally from Kelowna, B.C., Schultz was taken in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 43rd overall, by the Anaheim Ducks. However, he instead opted to attend the University of Wisconsin and after three years with the Badgers, signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012.
From 2012 to 2024, Schultz played 745 NHL regular-season games with the Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken, recording 324 points and 198 penalty minutes. In an additional 81 playoff games, he tallied 41 points and 16 minutes and won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Pitsburgh in 2016 and 2017.
Internationally, Schultz represented Canada at the 2013 IIHF World Championship.
Schultz joins a Lugano team that sits 10th in the 14-team National League after 12 games. The team’s roster includes Slovak goaltender Adam Húska, defensemen Marco Müller and Carl Dahlström, and forwards Marc Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Jiří Sekáč, Radim Zohorna and Calvin Thürkauf.
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