yahoo
Jul.
10BEMIDJI Heading into the offseason, in looking for holes on the Bemidji State men's hockey team's projected roster for the 2026-27 season, there was a big one on the right side of the blue line.
The Beavers had just two right-handed defensemen last season: Isa Parekh and Ben Vigneault.
However, Parekh went in the transfer portal and committed to Maine.
Last season, left-handed veterans like Mitch Wolfe and Vince Corcoran ate minutes playing on their off-hands, but both have graduated, as did AJ Macaulay and Patrik Satosaari.
That's where Luca D'Amato comes in handy for BSU and head coach Tom Serratore.
Not only does he provide a need as a USports transfer from the University of New Brunswick, but he's bringing a scoring touch with him.
"I like to jump in the rush and be offensive, but defense comes first for me," D'Amato said.
"I think I have a good first pass and good IQ.
I can see the ice well, but you have to do it on both ends of the ice." D'Amato, a 5-foot-9, 161-pound native of Maple, Ontario, had two goals and 23 assists in 35 USports games last season.
New Brunswick finished with a record of 20-10 and finished third in the 2026 USports University Cup.
D'Amato will become the fourth Bemidji State player to have played both NCAA and USports games when he takes the ice next season.
Defenseman Hudson Thornton was in line to play USports, but gained NCAA eligibility before enrolling at the University of Saskatchewan.
"You go from being an (over-ager) in the (Ontario Hockey League) to a first-year guy in USports, the adjustment to playing against older and bigger guys is real," D'Amato said.
"It's heavy.
I had to adapt in that first month or so, just with how aggressive it is.
You're going to have to take hits in USports.
That's just how it is." D'Amato played four OHL seasons for Flint and Oshawa.
His final two seasons of his major junior career were his best 29 goals and 77 assists in 176 regular-season and postseason games.
The Generals made it all the way to the J.
Ross Robertson Cup finals in both of those seasons, losing to the London Knights each time.
D'Amato played with some of the NHL's top prospects with the Generals, including the New York Islanders' Calum Ritchie and the Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke.
"The last two years in Oshawa, we had pretty good squads," D'Amato said.
"It helps a lot when you play with some of the guys I played with, the guys in the NHL now.
For me, I just wanted to get better every year in the OHL.
I wanted to develop the best I could to help the team win.
That's what I want to do in NCAA." D'Amato and the Beavers spoke during the 2024-25 season after the NCAA amended its eligibility rules to allow Canadian Hockey League players to gain NCAA eligibility.
He ultimately played one year of USports in New Brunswick.
"The relationship myself and my family has with Bemidji is great," D'Amato said.
"Talking to Tom over the last two years, it's been great.
Tom reached out this year and last year as well.
We were thinking of committing last year ..
and I ended up going to New Brunswick.
I had a good year, and I think Bemidji was the number one spot for me to go next.
Tom always had that interest in me, and I'm pretty pumped to play there." From afar, D'Amato kept tabs on Bemidji State.
After his commitment was made public in early May, he started familiarizing himself with the 2026-27 roster.
While playing in the OHL, D'Amato played against current Beavers Oliver Peer and Max Namestnikov.
He also skated against Ethan Miedema, who played with Namestnikov in Guelph.
"It's a good squad," D'Amato said.
"The guys coming in are good as well.
For me, I think coming D-I is just about winning.
Yeah, I want to play pro hockey down the road, but I want to go in there, help the team win and do what I can.".