(UND Athletics) GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head hockey coach Brad Berry announced the addition of defenseman Bennett Zmolek to the program for his final three years of eligibility on Wednesday.
“Bennett brings another element of play to our program that we are excited to have,” said Berry. “His combination of size and puck-moving abilities are something that we look forward to having in our defensive group.”
Zmolek spent his first two seasons at Minnesota State, missing all of 2022-23 due to an injury. The Rochester, Minn., native had a strong freshman campaign in 28 games for the Mavericks, earning CCHA All-Rookie Team honors after tallying two goals and five assists for seven points.
The blueliner also finished with a plus-12 rating and had 23 blocked shots, helping Minnesota State claim both the CCHA regular season and tournament titles before advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four for only the second time in program history.
Zmolek has two younger brothers, Riese and Will, who played college hockey at Minnesota State and Bemidji State, respectively, and his father, Doug, saw action in 467 NHL games as a defenseman with San Jose, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago from 1992-2000.
He is the fifth transfer to join the program for the upcoming season, joining fellow defensemen Garrett Pyke and Keaton Pehrson, forward Cameron Berg and goaltender Ludvig Persson.
