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The Slovakian born defensemen sits down to discuss his first season with the Lumberjacks, his World Junior experience and his upcoming commitment to Lake Superior State University.

Entering his second season in North America, Adam Beluško made a move that is paying dividends for the 19-year-old defenseman. 

After spending the 2024-25 season playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League, Beluško made the leap to the United States Hockey League, joining the Muskegon Lumberjacks

“I love the Muskegon Organization, they are taking unbelievable care of me and every player on the team,” Beluško said. “The league is hard, it’s something different for me from last year's season in the WHL. It’s a tough league, and it’s something I needed in my career.”

Through 43 games played this season, Beluško has recorded three goals and 11 assists, only three points off the 17 he recorded in 53 games last year as a member of the Wheat Kings. Beluško sits second among all Lumberjacks defenseman with 14 points, trailing only Danny Klaers, who has 19. 

“It’s a really tough, fast league with lots of contact and physicality,” Beluško said. “The USHL is a bit more defensive, with it being tougher to score goals.” 

With 16 games remaining on the schedule and a record of 30-15-0-1, Beluško is focused on helping lead the Lumberjacks to a strong finish to the season and a deep playoff run. 

“I think we just need to focus on our game because I think we have a really good team here,” Beluško said. “We just need to find a way to be great every single game, and once we find that level, it’s going to be really fun to play.” 

Last weekend, the Lumberjacks showed that when they are at their best, they can beat anyone. That was highlighted during a three-game weekend series sweep of the Youngstown Phantoms. The Lumberjacks find themselves seven points back of the Phantoms after the three wins. Beluško recorded his third goal of the season during Sunday’s 5-2 win. 

“Obviously, Youngstown is a great team, really great strengths, and they were first,” Beluško said. “They previously beat us twice in January in Muskegon, so we wanted to beat them and get some points back.” 

In December, Beluško was selected as a member of Team Slovakia for the 2026 World Juniors in Minnesota, a moment that was not lost on the defenseman. 

“I was always dreaming about the ability to represent my country and family on the biggest stage. I’m really happy I got that experience,” Beluško said. “I’m not happy about how we finished, I think we had the opportunity to win more games and maybe go further than the quarterfinals. I really liked the group we had there.”

Five members from that Slovakian team, Tri-City Storm’s goalie Michal Pradel and defenseman Samuel Murin, Des Moines Buccaneers netminder Alan Lendak, Green Bay Gamblers goalie Leo Henriquez and Beluško all currently find homes with USHL teams. 

“We’ve all played in the Under-18 program together, and it’s a great way to help develop Slovakian hockey,” Beluško said. “We see each other here in the USHL, so it was great to play together on the National Team and have that experience together.”

In five games at the World Juniors, Beluško recorded two goals, first in a 4-1 victory over Germany, then during a 6-5 defeat against the United States of America. 

“The first goal against Germany, the net was empty, and it was 6-on-4, so I just tried to send the puck 200-feet, and I was lucky it hit the net,” Beluško said. “The emotion was unbelievable. We had a traditional folk goal song, and when I saw all the Slovakian fans and flags behind our bench, I became emotional. I enjoyed the moment, and it’s something I think about often.”

Beluško has committed to Lake Superior State University for the 2027-28 season, continuing on to the next step in his young career. 

“They were the first school who reached out to me and were very honest with me from the start. I took some time to decide during the first half of the season, taking it day-by-day and focusing on the World Juniors,” Beluško said. “After the Juniors, I knew after talking to the coaching staff that these were the people I wanted to work with for the next four years. I’m really excited, it’s another big step in my career and gets me closer to my dreams and goals.”

When asked about his goals for the future, Beluško had his eyes set on achieving greatness at every step of the way. 

“I want to win the Clark Cup this year, I want to get to the National Hockey League, and I want to be at an Olympics to help my home country of Slovakia win a medal,” Beluško said. 

The Lumberjacks are back in action Friday night, when they host the Sioux City Musketeers. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. EST.