Paolo Della Bella
Encyclopedia
Paolo Gerolamo Della Bella (born September 12, 1977, Sorengo
, Switzerland
) is a Swiss ice hockey
goaltender
.
in four European and Junior Championships (1994–1997), and was elected the team's best player in 1994, 1995 and 1996. He has also played in approximately 100 national team exhibition games for Switzerland (junior and senior teams).
He graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. While a member of the hockey team in the University of Ottawa, he was voted the team's most valuable player in 1998-99 and was named to the OUA
all-star team.
Della Bella was the first Western European to ever play in the Russian Super League, playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk
. During his career he has played in Switzerland (for HC Ambri-Piotta
, HC Davos
and HC Lugano in Nationalliga A and for HC Ajoie
and HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
in Nationalliga B), Canada (at the University of Ottawa
), USA (for the Knoxville Ice Bears
of the ACHL and for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
of the AHL
),as he was the first player ever to be called up from the ACHL (now SPHL) to the AHL, and Italy (HC Varese and HC Vipers Junior Milano). Currently he play for the MIlano ROssoblu in the Italian Hockey League, where, at his first season, he was elected MVP of the team.
Della Bella was successful in many of the teams he played for in Europe. He helped Ambri-Piotta to their first Swiss junior championship in 1995, and was the first Western European to win the Russian championship with Magnitogorsk in 2000-2001. He won the European Cup with them in the same year and in 2005-2006 he won his first Italian championship with Milan.
Sorengo
Sorengo is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Sorengo is first mentioned in 1189 as Sourengo when the S. Lorenzo Cathedral in Lugano acquired the right to collect tithes....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is a Swiss ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
.
Career
Della Bella played for the Swiss national teamSwiss national ice hockey team
The Swiss men's national ice hockey team is a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and is controlled by the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband. As of 2010 the Swiss team was ranked 7th in the world by the IIHF...
in four European and Junior Championships (1994–1997), and was elected the team's best player in 1994, 1995 and 1996. He has also played in approximately 100 national team exhibition games for Switzerland (junior and senior teams).
He graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. While a member of the hockey team in the University of Ottawa, he was voted the team's most valuable player in 1998-99 and was named to the OUA
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public...
all-star team.
Della Bella was the first Western European to ever play in the Russian Super League, playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League...
. During his career he has played in Switzerland (for HC Ambri-Piotta
HC Ambri-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League A. The club was founded September 19, 1937 and is also known as "Bianco-Blu"...
, HC Davos
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team...
and HC Lugano in Nationalliga A and for HC Ajoie
HC Ajoie
HC Ajoie is a Swiss professional ice hockey team....
and HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
HC La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss professional ice hockey team.-External links:*...
in Nationalliga B), Canada (at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
), USA (for the Knoxville Ice Bears
Knoxville Ice Bears
The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the...
of the ACHL and for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, at the Cincinnati Gardens.-History:...
of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
),as he was the first player ever to be called up from the ACHL (now SPHL) to the AHL, and Italy (HC Varese and HC Vipers Junior Milano). Currently he play for the MIlano ROssoblu in the Italian Hockey League, where, at his first season, he was elected MVP of the team.
Della Bella was successful in many of the teams he played for in Europe. He helped Ambri-Piotta to their first Swiss junior championship in 1995, and was the first Western European to win the Russian championship with Magnitogorsk in 2000-2001. He won the European Cup with them in the same year and in 2005-2006 he won his first Italian championship with Milan.