Notre Dame hockey adds two transfer defensemen to 2022-23 roster
Notre Dame hockey bolstered its defensive corps this week. The Fighting Irish added two defensemen to the 2022-23 roster. Head coach Jeff Jackson and company will welcome junior Drew Bavaro from Bentley and graduate student Ben Brinkman from Minnesota to campus this offseason.
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Bavaro totaled nine goals and 18 assists in 36 games played this past season. He was a first-team All-Atlantic Hockey selection. His 27 points marked the most on the Bentley roster. It would have tied for second among all Irish scorers. Max Ellis, a Toronto Maple Leafs entry-level contract signee, led Notre Dame with 28.
Bavaro recorded two goals and 10 assists in 16 games as a freshman. The Bradenton, Fla., native played for the Wenatchee Wild of the BCHL in 2019-20. He registered nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points in 51 games. He’s been a proven point producer on the back end everywhere he’s gone.
Brinkman, meanwhile, spent four seasons with Big Ten rival Minnesota. He has two goals and 21 assists in 140 career games. He played in 37 games this past season and put forth one goal and seven assists during the Gophers’ run to the Frozen Four, where they lost to the same team that put Notre Dame out in the Albany Regional — Minnesota State.
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Brinkman had 82 career points in 68 high school games at Edina (Minn.) High School. Professional scouts took notice of his preps career; Brinkman was selected in the sixth round (173rd overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars.
Notre Dame defensemen Nick Leivermann and Chase Blackmun recently announced they’re staying with the Irish for another season. Zach Plucinski, Ryan Helliwell and Jake Boltmann, all regular blue-line contributors in 2021-22, will return for Notre Dame too. Jackson’s defense should be just fine even with the loss of Spencer Stastney to the Nashville Predators organization.
Notre Dame finished this past season with a 28-12 overall record and a 17-6 mark in conference play. The Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament and won their first game there, 2-1 over North Dakota in overtime, before losing a tightly contested defensive battle to eventual national runner-up Minnesota State, 1-0.
The Irish are still in search of their first ever national title, but momentum toward it continues to churn with Jackson at the helm.
