A national player is Bolzano's first new signing

The new HCB striker represented Italy at the World Cup in Helsinki. © ANSA / Kimmo Brandy

Things have been very quiet at HCB Südtirol Alperia for a long time, but for now the transfer activity around the two-time ICE champion should pick up. It begins with one of Italy’s World Cup participants, and a farewell is imminent as well.

10 June 2022

From: fop

Daniel Mantenuto will be looking for a goal for Fox since the start of the season. He is moving to Talfer from future league rivals Asiago.

The 24-year-old hails from Ontario, Canada, but also holds an Italian passport and will not be a burden to the overseas team as he has been chasing Puck in the Boot State for more than 16 months. As a reminder: at the start of this season, each ICE team is only allowed to field 10 transfer card players. Dual nationals visiting Italy for the first time are counted as foreigners for a year and a half.

“The objective should be to fight for the title.”
daniel mantenuto

Mantenuto comes in from Asiago to Bozen with a recommendation of 92 points from 95 games. With Stellati he has won a title in the Alps Hockey League, two Italian Championship titles and two Italian Supercups over the past two years. Before his commitment to the Veneto, he played for four years in the NCAA, a North American varsity league. Last winter, Mantanuto also made his debut for the Italian national team, for which he scored a goal and two assists at the most recent World Cup in Finland.

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In all competitions, Daniel Mantenuto played 111 games for Asiago (101 points). © Vito di Romeo

Mantenuto’s first words as a newcomer to Bolzano are: “I hope we will have a powerful and victorious squad. The goal should be to fight for the title.”

Fazio goes the opposite

The Canadian all-round striker, who serves as a goalscorer and a provider and also performs defensive functions, is the first new signing at HCB. Only the contract extensions of strikers Mike Hulmo, Dominic Alberta and Dustin Gazelle and the return of Dylan di Perna, who was loaned to Ritten, have been officially announced in Bolzano so far.

More squad reports should come soon – including a farewell to Justin Fazio. HC Bozen, 25, had an extremely solid backup for three years, but is now looking to prove himself number one. He is about to reach a deal with ICE newcomer Asiago. On the other hand, in Bolzano, the goalkeeper position Andreas Bernard is still a hot topic, although the club is also looking for a new first-choice goalkeeper from abroad.