MANKATO, Minn. --- Minnesota State men's hockey coach Luke Strand has announced that Daimon Gardner will join the Mavericks for the 2026-27 season.
Garnder, a native of Eagle Lake, Ontario, is a 6'4", left-handed shot forward, joins the Mavericks after spending the last two seasons with St. Cloud State.

A fourth-round pick (112^th overall) of the Vancouver Canucks in 2022, Gardner played in 29 games last year, scoring two goals and registering two assists for four points. In 2024-25, he appeared in 32 games for the Huskies scoring five goals and tallying nine assists for 14 points.  Prior to his time at SCSU, he played a season at Clarkson where he had a goal and five assists in six games.

"Daimon is an experienced player with size and skill," said Strand.  "His versatility will be great for our lineup."

Prior to his time in college, Gardner spent two years in the USHL, playing the 2021-22 season with Omaha and Tri-City and the 2022-23 season with Tri-City. During the 2022-23 season, he played in 46 games, scoring 12 goals and notching 30 assists for 42 points.

The Gardner name is no stranger to Maverick Athletics as Daimon's sisters, Demi (2016-19) and Mariah (2017-21) played for the Maverick women's hockey team.