Release from 31.07.2025

Cole Schneider completes Bolzano's roster

Short text 405 CharactersPlain text

34-year-old Cole Schneider will strengthen the offense of HCB Südtirol Alperia. The American played a total of six games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres and also played 805 games in the AHL. Last season, Schneider played in Europe for the first time, scoring 74 points for Storhamar and winning the championship with the Norwegians. This signing completes the South Tyrolean squad for the coming season.

Press release 2859 CharactersPlain text

Schneider is a versatile forward who can play both wing and center. He brings physicality, speed, game intelligence, and a keen eye for goal—qualities that have consistently made him one of his teams' top scorers throughout his career.

“It's hard to put into words how happy my family and I are to be becoming part of the reality in Bolzano,” explains Schneider. “Ever since HCB became an option, the club has been at the top of my list. You'd be crazy to turn down an offer from a team with such a passionate fan base in such a beautiful city. I've already played with and against some of my new teammates, and it's clear how competitive we can be. The goal? To do everything we can to win the championship.”

Born on August 26, 1990, in Williamsville, New York, Schneider attended the University of Connecticut, where he played two seasons in the NCAA college league. Due to his strong performances, he became the third player in the university's history to sign an NHL contract without being drafted. In 2012, he was signed by the Ottawa Senators to a two-year entry-level contract and subsequently made his professional debut in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators. He remained there for four seasons, accumulating 191 points in 259 games. On February 27, 2016, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres as part of a seven-player trade. He finished the season with the Rochester Americans, but made his NHL debut on April 8. The following season, he made four more NHL appearances, but mainly played for the Americans again. In 2017, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent and was assigned to their AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he was also named captain. Thanks to consistently strong performances and regular scoring, he moved to the Nashville Predators organization in early 2019 but continued to play in the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals.

There, he scored 22 points in 24 regular season games. Due to the pandemic, he had to temporarily leave Milwaukee and signed a one-year contract with the Texas Stars, where he was once again named captain and finished third on the team's scoring list with 11 goals and 17 assists in 36 games. He then returned to the Admirals for two more seasons and ended his AHL career with the Chicago Wolves in 2023/24. His AHL record: 805 games, 251 goals, 338 assists.

In the summer of 2024, Schneider made his first move to Europe, signing with the Norwegian team Storhamar. There, he led his team to the championship – first as the top scorer in the regular season with 64 points in 45 games (33 goals, 31 assists), then with 5 goals and 5 assists in the playoffs. In the final, Storhamar won 4-0 against the Stavanger Oilers. Schneider also made his debut in the Champions Hockey League, scoring 4 points in 4 games.

Copyright: Fredrik Hagen