DiMaio is a former teammate of GM Steve Staios and has spent the past two years as assistant GM of the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ottawa Senators continue to retool their hockey operations department. GM Steve Staios announced Tuesday the hiring of Rob DiMaio as the team's Director of Player Personnel and Director of Professional Scouting.
"We are excited to add Rob's experience and acumen to our hockey management team," Staios said in a club statement. "He brings more than 30 years of experience as a player and executive and has a track record of success. Rob is a hard-working leader and a will be a great match to the team and culture we are building here in Ottawa."
DiMaio and Staios have history. They were teammates with the Boston Bruins in 1996-97. As a player, DiMaio was a high-energy, buzzsaw-type of a player that the Senators could use in their current lineup. He appeared in 894 career NHL games with the Islanders, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Boston, Carolina, and Dallas.
As an executive, DiMaio spent the last two years as the Anaheim Ducks' Assistant General Manager while also serving as the GM of their AHL farm club in San Diego. Yes, the Ducks were a terrible team for each of DiMaio's two years in Anaheim, but it's possible the moves he was involved haven't had time yet to yield results.
DiMaio also spent 13 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, serving as Director of Player Personnel for seven seasons between 2015 and 2022, helping them build a Cup winner in 2019.
DiMaio helps fill the void after the firing of chief pro scout Rob Murphy last month.