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BEMIDJI – Tom Serratore’s roster is set for his 24th season as the Bemidji State men’s hockey head coach.

After winning the MacNaughton Cup for the second time in program history, the Beavers bring back a healthy mix of tenured veterans and underclassmen with the potential to break out in 2024-25.

BSU will also roster seven freshmen and three transfers, completing a 28-player roster to kick off its championship-defending campaign.

From the returners to the rookies, along with the finalized coaching staff, here’s what’s known about the 2024-25 Beavers.

Bemidji State finalized its 2024-25 roster with the addition of a third player out of the transfer portal. Reilly Funk played three seasons as a forward at Northern Michigan, scoring three goals and eight assists in 41 games.

Funk is listed at 6 feet, 3 inches as a junior at 209 pounds. A native of Portage, Manitoba, Funk is a 23-year-old lefthanded forward who played for the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL for two seasons.

Funk joins a forward graduate transfer, Carter Randklev, out of Niagara and junior defenseman AJ Macaulay out of Alaska. In four seasons, Randklev had 33 goals and 35 assists in 110 games. Macaulay had seven goals and 17 assists on the Nanooks’ blue line in 67 games over two years.

Seven incoming freshmen round out the Beavers’ crop of 10 new players on their 2024-25 roster.

After four years of junior hockey in the OJHL and the BCHL, Isa Parekh will step into the BSU defensive room as the only righthanded blueliner. Listed at 6 feet, 157 pounds, Parekh was one of two Bemidji State players to receive a development camp invite from an NHL team. He skated with his brother Zane Parekh at the Calgary Flames camp in July. Zane was selected ninth overall in the NHL Draft by the Flames.

In 78 games with the North York Rangers, Parekh scored 12 goals and 46 assists. He had eight goals and 24 assists with the Georgetown Raiders to finish his 2022-23 season in the OJHL. Parekh played with the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL in his final season in juniors, scoring five times and assisting on 33 goals in 52 games.

Alexi Sylvestre was a point-per-game player in two seasons with the Flin Flon Bombers in the SJHL. He will now play for Bemidji State starting this fall.

Sylvestre had 53 goals and 60 assists in 111 games with the Bombers. At 6 feet, 2 inches and 194 pounds, Sylvester will be slotted as a forward who can play center and left wing.

Jaksen Panzer didn’t expect to be a Beaver a few years ago.

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Beavers Hockey

Jaksen Panzer released from commitment to North Dakota, flips to Bemidji State

Jaksen Panzer committed to the Fighting Hawks in eighth grade and was one of the youngest UND commits in program history. Now, he’s set to play for the Beavers.

Dec 31, 1969

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By  Jared Rubado

The Grand Forks, N.D., native committed to North Dakota when he was in eighth grade. That was until last March when he flipped to Bemidji State.

Panzer played for East Grand Forks High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ for three seasons before opting to play his junior year of high school with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. In two-plus USHL seasons, Panzer had 24 goals and 41 assists in 135 games.

At 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds, Panzer can play as a center or a winger. His father, Jeff, and his uncle, Jay, both played for North Dakota collegiately.

Luke Roelofs is one of two Minnesota natives in BSU’s incoming rookie class. After three seasons at Holy Family High ÍáÍáÂþ»­, Roelofs played in the NAHL for the Bismarck Bobcats for three years. In 171 games, Roelofs had 12 goals and 39 assists.

Listed at 6 feet, 2 inches at 192 pounds, the defenseman out of Mound begins his college career at 21 years old – the oldest of all seven Bemidji State freshmen.

Tory Lund’s breakout season with the El Paso Rhinos in the NAHL nabbed him a spot on the Beavers’ 2024-25 roster. He had 18 goals and 30 assists last season as a forward, then committed to BSU shortly after returning to his hometown in Sartell. Lund is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds.

Beavers Hockey

Former Sartell Sabre Tory Lund ‘thrilled’ to receive offer from Beavers

The former Sartell Sabre committed to Bemidji State after his second season in the NAHL with the El Paso Rhinos on June 4.

Dec 31, 1969

 · 

By  Jared Rubado

Ryan Henderson rounds out BSU’s group of incoming skaters. The freshman defenseman is listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 170 pounds. He played 111 games in the AJHL with the Drumheller Dragons, scoring seven goals and 47 assists over two seasons.

BSU’s last rostered freshman filled out the goalie room. Fargo, N.D., native Trent Wiemken posted a record of 47-23-9 in 82 games with the Austin Bruins in the NAHL. He held a 2.125 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage in two seasons.

Wiemken played for Fargo Davies High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ through his 2021-22 season before playing juniors. He’s listed at 6 feet and 170 pounds.

Eighteen of the 28 players on Bemidji State’s roster have suited up for the Beavers prior to the 2024-25 season.

The forwards are highlighted by fifth-year captain Jackson Jutting and fifth-year alternates Eric Martin and Austin Jouppi. Jere Vaisanen was also named an alternate captain for his senior season. Donte Lawson is the lone senior forward on the roster outside of the leadership group.

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

BSU has just two junior forwards with experience at the Sanford Center. Adam Flammang and Kirklan Irey join Funk as the junior forwards, while Noah Quinn, Rhys Chiddenton, Jake McLean and Kasper Magnussen all came back for their sophomore season as forwards for Bemidji State.

The Beavers have plenty of experience on the blue line in seniors Tony Follmer and Will Magnuson, along with juniors Mitch Wolfe, Patrik Satosaari and Vince Corcoran. BSU does not have a rostered sophomore defenseman for 2024-25.

Rounding out the goalie room is senior Mattias Sholl, who will start his fourth consecutive season for Bemidji State. Behind him is Raythan Robbins, who skated in just three games during his freshman season last year.

• Fifth-year: Jackson Jutting, Eric Martin, Carter Randklev, Austin Jouppi. 
• Seniors: Jere Vaisanen, Tony Follmer, Will Magnuson, Donte Lawson, Mattias Sholl.
• Juniors: Patrik Satosaari, Mitch Wolfe, Adam Flammang, AJ Macaulay, Kirklan Irey, Vince Corcoran, Reilly Funk. 
• Sophomores: Noah Quinn, Rhys Chiddenton, Jake McLean, Kasper Magnussen, Raythan Robbins. 
• Freshmen: Isa Parekh, Alexi Sylvestre, Jaksen Panzer, Luke Roelofs, Tory Lund, Ryan Henderson, Trent Wiemken. 

2023-24 departures: Kyle Looft (graduated), Carter Jones (graduated), Jack Powell (graduated), Gavin Enright (transferred to St. Cloud State), Eric Pohlkamp (transferred to Denver), Alexander Lundman (in transfer portal), Jakub Lewandowski (in transfer portal), Logan Acheson (transferred to Alaska), Lleyton Roed (Signed with Seattle).

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

With the 2024-25 roster being locked in last week, Serratore also promoted Joe Wegwerth as an assistant coach.

Wegwerth joined the BSU staff as a volunteer assistant and a video coordinator last season. Wegwerth played four seasons at Notre Dame from 2015-19 before he spent two years in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies.

Bemidji State posted a position for hire for a goalie coach after Brock Kautz left following the 2023-24 season. After a searching process, the Beavers opted to promote Wegwerth instead of hiring an outside candidate to specifically coach goalies.

Serratore enters his 24th season as the head coach for Bemidji State, while Travis Winter begins his 11th as an assistant/associate head coach. Andrew Magera will be staffed as a BSU assistant for the second consecutive season, while Wegwerth begins his first year as an assistant and his second with the program.