Bemidji State adds right-handed defenseman Luca D’Amato to blue line

Bemidji State men’s hockey added right-handed defenseman Luca D’Amato, giving Tom Serratore’s blue line the right-shot option it lacked last season. The Beavers carried only two right-handed defensemen a year ago, and when Isa Parekh entered the transfer portal and committed to Maine, left-shot veterans had to play on their off sides.

D’Amato arrives from the University of New Brunswick as a U SPORTS transfer with a résumé built on both production and puck movement. His New Brunswick stats page lists 29 games, 22 points, two goals, 20 assists and a plus-25 rating in 2025-26. The Maple, Ontario native was born Aug. 18, 2004, and spent four major-junior seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with Flint and Oshawa before moving to the university game.

The fit matters because Bemidji State was not simply looking for another body on the back end. D’Amato said he likes to join the rush and sees himself as offensive-minded, but he also stressed that defense comes first and that he takes pride in his first pass and hockey IQ. That combination gives the Beavers a defender who can help break the puck out cleanly, keep the attack moving and still handle the harder defensive shifts that can define a night in college hockey.

The move also sits inside a larger shift in roster building. U SPORTS announced on March 11, 2025 that incoming men’s hockey student-athletes with professional hockey experience would be immediately eligible starting with the 2025-26 season, and its eligibility page now carries updated 2026-27 transfer-policy materials. D’Amato’s path from New Brunswick to Bemidji State reflects how that changing framework is opening more cross-border movement for programs looking to solve precise roster problems.

For the Beavers, the gain is more specific than a general upgrade on defense. A right-handed blue-liner changes how pairings are built, how the first pass starts and how the power play can be set up. It also lets Serratore keep more players on their natural side, which is the kind of balance Bemidji State was missing when the season ended with so few right-shot options on the roster.