Release from 19.05.2025

Pustertal signs duo from Asiago | Zach Boychuk joins Olimpija

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The forwards Nick Saracino and Alex Ierullo are moving to HC Pustertal. Both come from former league rivals Asiago and were also part of the Italian national team that made it into the top group at the beginning of May. Olimpija Ljubljana announced the signing of Zach Boychuk, who has played a total of 127 NHL games and celebrated four championship titles with the Eisbären Berlin in recent years.

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The 33-year-old Saracino came to professional ice hockey via the NCAA, initially playing in the ECHL (183 games, 147 points) and AHL (78 games, 18 points). At the age of 29, the Italian-American made the leap to Europe and landed in Asiago in 2022 after a year in Slovakia. There, he scored consistently and was a leader within the team. Saracino then moved to HCB Südtirol Alperia for the 2025 playoffs.

Alex Ierullo, on the other hand, is a left winger and was one of Asiago Hockey's top scorers. The soon-to-be 28-year-old came to Asiago directly from the North American pro ranks, having previously played in the NCAA, ECHL and AHL. The Italian-Canadian has already impressively demonstrated his qualities in the win2day ICE Hockey League and even led the internal scoring rankings in Asiago 2023/24.

Sporting Director Patrick Bona: "Following Asiago's elimination from the win2day ICE Hockey League, the opportunity arose to sign two dual nationals. We know the players, we know what they can do in this league and the players know the league and the opposition. So we decided to sign these players in return for not filling all the import spots. Our locals will continue to get the space they need and that we want to offer them."

High-calibre new signing for Olimpija Ljubljana
Zach Boychuk joins Olimpija Ljubljana from Berlin. The forward has played a total of 127 NHL games. With the Canadian national team, he was twice U-20 World Junior Champion and won the Spengler Cup twice. The 35-year-old has also made a name for himself in the European leagues, where he became Swiss champion with Bern and four-time DEL champion with the Eisbären Berlin. Boychuk is an extremely efficient goal scorer and can boast the title of best goal scorer in the CHL, among others.

Anže Ulčar, director of HK Olimpija Ljubljana: "We wanted a dominant and offensively proven centre who can lead the offence. Someone who has been successful at all levels of hockey and is hungry for more success and will lead the whole team in that direction. That's exactly what we have with Zach."