Luc Snuggerud
Luc Snuggerud is an American ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for HC Košice. He was an All-American for Omaha. Playing career. Snuggerud was a star defenseman for Eden Prairie High School, receiving the Reed Larson award as the top defenseman in the state and leading the Eagles to the state tournament. After graduating, Snuggerud was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 5th round of the NHL draft and then began preparing for his freshman season at Omaha. Snuggerud fir in well with the Mavericks, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament, win its first two  postseason games and appear in its first ever Frozen Four. Snuggerud was named to the conference All-Rookie team and continued the sturdy play as a sophomore. He was named an alternate captain as a junior and took a big step forward, nearly tripling his goal production. While Omaha could only manage a .500 record, Snuggerud was named an All-American. After Omaha was eliminated from postseason contention, Snuggerud ended his college career by signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. He finished out the season with their minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. For his first  full season as a pro, Snuggerud remained in the AHL and put up decent numbers, though he only played in about half of the team's games due to injury. His second season was an utter disaster as he was limited to just 4 games because of multiple concussions. Before the season was even over, Snuggerud was placed on unconditional waivers by Chicago and the remainder of his contract was bought out. Despite the health concerns, Snuggerud did return to the ice. He finished out the season with the Stavanger Oilers and helped the team reach their league semifinals. The  following fall, Snuggerud received a try-out from the Tampa Bay Lightning but he was released before the end of training camp. He then spend a little time in the AHL before returning to Europe and playing in the EBEL. After the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Snuggerud had to scrounge to find a home in 2020. He eventually wound up with Rytíři Kladno, playing alongside NHL legend Jaromír Jágr. He seemed to find his game during the season and proved solid on the blueline. Snuggerud helped the team win the 1st League championship and receive  a promotion to the Czech Extraliga for 2021–22. Personal life. Both Luc's father Bo and his uncle Dave played college hockey. Dave is also a former NHL player, appearing in 265 games over 6 seasons.