Defenseman Connor Diem maneuvers the puck up the ice in a game against Lindenwood with the Flames' Division II team on Jan. 10, 2025, at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by KJ Jugar)
Defenseman Diem moves up to DI men’s hockey ranks for senior season
8/30/2025 12:23:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey, Men's D2 Hockey
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Connor Diem, who started at the DII level and played there as a junior after spending a season on the DIII squad, is one of three left-handed defensemen added to the DI Flames this fall.
Senior defenseman Connor Diem is the second Liberty University men's hockey player this decade to transition from the Flames' Division III team to the DII ranks before landing on the DI squad for his senior season, following the lead of Adam Norwinski in 2020-21.
"It's been a fun journey," said Diem, who played his freshman and junior seasons on Liberty's DII team and sophomore year on the DIII roster. "I have played for every current hockey coach now."
He said as disappointing as it was to be demoted from the DII to the DIII level in 2023, it was just as surprising to make the DI roster last week.
Diem kept his No. 15 jersey from the DII and DIII squads. (Photo by Simon Barbre)
"I was pretty content to make the Division II team and didn't expect to spend my senior year on DI," Diem said. "I just think it was God's will."
As cliché as that may sound, he believes it to be true.
"Each year, God has grown me in different ways," said Diem, who made the most of his season with the DIII squad, scoring 11 goals and distributing 14 assists. "Even after receiving the offer to play on DI, God removed all the barriers, and I had no reason not to accept it. I feel I can make an impact on this team."
But Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy made an exception for Diem to allow him the flexibility to miss practice once every two weeks. He is looking forward to having the 6-foot, 3-inch, 195-pound senior complement two other defensemen added to the ranks in the preseason — freshmen Jentzen Kaebel and Michael Fischer.
"On the back end, we've added three left-handed defensemen, including Connor, who played a couple games with us last year," Handy said. "He's a senior and he's a pretty reliable defenseman back there, someone who has a physical component for us."
Diem traveled with the DI team to the University of Pittsburgh last Sept. 27-28 for a sweep of the Panthers and played in a 3-2 loss to Maryville (Mo.) University at the LaHaye Ice Center on Oct. 19.
Over the summer, to prepare for his senior season, he worked on hockey-specific strength and conditioning programs out of a gym in his local rink, the Rochester (N.Y.) Ice Center, training alongside AHL and NCAA Division I and II players as well as one from the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
"Size is definitely a strength, as I am the tallest defenseman on the team, and I am hoping to utilize it this year, knocking opponents off the puck and creating offense from those opportunities," said Diem, whose Junior hockey career included stints with the Philadelphia Hockey Club in the USPHL Premiere and the East Coast (Mass.) Wizards' Tier III team in the EHL.
He said the adjustment to the DI team has gone smoothly in the preseason, and he is excited for next Friday's season-opening exhibition contest against the West Chester (Pa.) Wolves, set for 7 p.m. in the LIC.
"It's been great," Diem said. "So far, we are still building systems. I can tell it's faster and a lot quicker, another step forward, and I am getting used to the pace."
The defensive systems are being implemented by first-year DI Assistant Coach Ben Hughes, who was his head coach on the DII squad last season while Assistant Coach Josh Graham worked with the defensemen and directed the penalty kill unit that he was a part of.
"Hughes was a great coach on DII, and his knowledge and skill is going to easily translate to DI as well," Diem said. "He knows me pretty well, knows how I think and operate and what to tell me on the bench, and if I'm not in the right head space to tell me how to play the right way."
While he considers himself "a little goofy," Diem does stay dialed-in and focused come game time.
"I do try to get pretty serious at game time, but not too serious," he said. "You've got to have some fun and be relaxed. I can be a little self-reserved (but) I try to go with the flow of things."
For a team bonding event, Diem and his new teammates played a round at the Hat Creek Golf Course in Campbell County before going on a team retreat at Stone Ridge in Appomattox County on Thursday.
"It's been good chemistry and a good group of guys," he said. "I love practicing with them."
Besides playing golf, he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Mia Bell, who works with the Club Sports Marketing and Promotions staff under Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing & Media Kim Jamison. After graduating in May, Diem is planning to launch his financial planning career in Cincinnati, where he and Bell will be wed Oct. 3, 2026.
