Jere Innala will join Hockey Club Lugano

Just a few days after their direct qualification for the playoffs, which will begin on Saturday, March 21, 2026, Hockey Club Lugano has secured the services of Finnish winger Jere Innala, who will play an important role in the team’s future.

HCL and Jere Innala have signed a contract for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.

The left-shooting forward (175 cm / 83 kg) was born on March 17, 1998, in Hauho and developed through the youth system of Kiekko-Ahma in the Hämeenlinna area of southern Finland.

With HPK Hämeenlinna, Innala played his first five seasons in Liiga from 2016 to 2021, winning the Finnish championship in 2018/19. After another standout season in his home country with IFK Helsinki, he took the step to the Swedish league with the traditional club Frölunda Göteborg, where he still plays today, following a North American stint in 2024/25 (Colorado Avalanche in the NHL and Colorado Eagles in the AHL).

Innala recorded 200 points in 315 Liiga games and 113 points in 163 SHL games. He consistently raises his production in the playoffs. In the 2023/24 postseason, he finished as the player with the most goals and points in Sweden’s top league.

Recently, Innala also won the Champions Hockey League, scoring the decisive overtime goal for Frölunda against the Finnish side Luleå in the final.

His career with the Finnish national team also demonstrates his value. Innala has played in three World Championships (2021, 2022, 2024), winning a gold and a silver medal, and was named by the IIHF among the Top 3 players of his team at the 2024 World Championship in Prague.

Janick Steinmann, General Manager of Hockey Club Lugano, says:

“Innala is a fast winger with strong scoring abilities. At 27, he still has the best years of his career ahead of him. With the experience he has gained in some of the world’s top leagues – Sweden, Finland, and North America – he will be a key piece of our team for the future.”