ASU Men’s Hockey Season Preview: Sun Devils aiming to continue building tradition

(Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN)

Arizona State has set the foundation for a legacy for ice hockey in the Valley of the Sun, and after finishing with an 8-21-5 record in their first full NCAA Division I season, coach Greg Powers and the Sun Devils are ready to rise with a budding core of skilled skaters and embrace the toughest schedule in program history.

Powers is at the helm again for the program’s third season playing a full NCAA DI schedule after leading the Sun Devils to their first tournament championship in school history at the Ice Vegas Invitational last year. Powers has been a significant part of the Sun Devils coaching staff over the last eight years, guiding the program through the lengthy transition period from club sport to DI outfit, and holds high expectations that his team will take a huge competitive step forward in his ninth season behind the bench.

“We are more competitive than the previous season even though our record didn’t reflect that,” Powers said. “We returned everything. We added more to the mix. We expect to take the next step forward without having that translate into wins and losses. We look to take a big competitive step forward.”

The Sun Devils possess an abundance of young talent, having recruited efficiently over the last couple of years. Mixed with strong leadership, the Sun Devils welcome a well-balanced roster of 23 returnees and seven newcomers into the 2018-2019 season.

Powers and the coaching staff elected to go with two co-captains for the first time in school history. Juniors Brinson Pasichnuk and Tyler Busch will share primary leadership duties while senior Anthony Croston and sophomore Dominic Garcia will sport alternate captain titles. While Croston earns an ‘A’ on his chest for the third time in his final year at ASU, Garcia receives his first letter as the youngest leader on the team after a strong first-year showing.

“[Brinson and Busch] both bring a different leadership style to the table,” Power said. “Busch will tell guys what they don’t want to hear, and you need that out of your leaders. Brinson is the ultimate teammate. He is our best player and he was voted as the best teammate by his peers last year.”

The excitement for this year revolves around redshirt freshman Austin Lemieux, who was forced to sit out last season as an academic redshirt according to Powers. With a high hockey I.Q. and smart decision-making, the 22-year-old forward shows resemblance to his father, Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Penguin Mario Lemieux. Following a year of developing physical strength and team chemistry, Lemieux will be one of a handful of newcomers expected to spark the Sun Devils offense and take the ice dawning maroon and gold for the first time this season.

The Sun Devils will pack an even greater punch to an explosive offensive lineup with several additions during their signing periods. ASU recruited forwards Demetrios Koumontzis, P.J. Marrocco, and Jordan Sandhu; defensemen Jarrod Gourley, Joshua Maniscalco and Connor Stuart; and goaltender Evan DeBrouwer.

Koumontzis, a fourth-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames this summer, headlines the group of newcomers.

Despite averaging 2.26 goals per game last season and struggling on the power play, the Sun Devils found some bright offensive spots last year that could shine brighter this season. Seven Sun Devils return with double-digit point totals, including key contributors Brinson Pasichnuk and Brett Gruber, who stood as the top two skaters dishing out assists last season.

Sophomore forward Johnny Walker is looking to continue where he left off after his tremendous 2017 campaign. Walker ended the season with a team-high 17 goals, which placed second among NCAA freshmen and set the ASU rookie record. The Phoenix-native adds a substantial threat to the top line with his heavy-hitting forecheck and mentality of crashing the net.

“There’s a learning curve with hockey, especially at the college level. I want to build off of what was working at the end last year,” Walker said. “My goal is to produce offensively. It’s a key role for me on this team to help put the puck in the back of the net. I got two linemates this year and we’re clicking well together right now.”

Speed and consistency fly through ASU’s offensive attacks. Juniors Tyler Busch and Steenn Pasichnuk, as well as sophomores Dominic Garcia and Filips Buncis, will provide depth to their second and third lines. Supported by the leadership of veterans Dylan Hollman, Louie Rowe and Anthony Croston, the Sun Devils are hoping to fare better in close games after eight of their 21 losses last year came by one goal (excluding empty netters).

While the offense will seek improvement, ASU’s defense has proven to be one of the more capable in the nation. The Sun Devils established a dominant penalty kill last season, ranked 26th thanks to their stalwart blueline and unyielding goaltending. Size and strength play in favor for the nine Sun Devil defenders, averaging 6-foot-1 and weighing 197 pounds.

Leading the blueline, junior Brinson Pasichnuk will dawn a ‘C’ for the 2018-2019 season after wearing an ‘A’ last year. The 20-year-old defenseman led the team with 26 points and blocked a team-high 53 shots on goal during his sophomore campaign.

Brinson is a two-way defenseman and a smart skater who breaks up passes in the neutral and defensive zones alongside jumping up on odd-man rushes. The new co-captain figures to be a pivotal piece on the top unit of the Sun Devils power play, providing quick feeds and one-timers from the point on the man-advantage, which calls for improvement from last year’s 13.1% conversion rate.

Senior Jakob Stridsberg and sophomore Gvido Jansons represent the stonewall support for the Sun Devils blueline. The two stay-at-home defenders bring a big physical presence, shot blocking prowess and a strong sense of urgency to the Sun Devils defense.

In his final season dawning maroon and gold, senior Jake Clifford transitions back to defense after collecting a career-high five points in 30 games as a forward last year. Clifford was honored as the 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Division I Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year for earning a 3.43 GPA and showing dedication to his community throughout several volunteer events. Despite setting a personal best in his junior campaign, Clifford returns to the blue line to help guide his rookie teammates in shaping the tradition of dedication and perseverance within the program.

An enormous factor to the success of Sun Devil hockey has been goaltending and junior Joey Daccord will again anchor the Sun Devils between the pipes. Drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL draft, Daccord posted a .909 save percentage and racked up the second-most saves in the country with 1,084 stops last year.

In 32 games during his sophomore season, Daccord sustained a 3.51 GAA with all eight of his team’s wins, including his first collegiate shutout against UMass-Lowell. The nimble netminder is a leader too, hoping to pass down his methods as a mentor this year to backup goalies Mike DePhillips and Debrouwer.

“One of the real nice things is that we all live together,” Daccord said. “We already have that good chemistry and friendship. I get to show them the ropes and the way we do things here. I try to lead by example and do what I’ve done last year to be successful. Our goal is to improve on last season. We want to increase our win total on top of being more competitive. We want to win on a more consistent basis this year.”

ASU will again compete as an NCAA independent but throughout this season will square off against perennial powerhouses across the country, something Powers thinks will help his youthful roster gain valuable competitive experience. Nevertheless, the Sun Devils will fight in a league of their own for now, still hoping for more Pac-12 men’s hockey programs to rise up to the D-1 level and expand college hockey along the West Coast in the near future.

In the 2018-2019 campaign, the Sun Devils play 32 regular season games, 18 contests on the road and 14 combined home matchups at Oceanside Ice Arena and Gila River Arena. In addition, ASU will bring back the Desert Hockey Classic Tournament to Glendale during the weekend of December 28-29 for the third time in the last four years.

The field consists of three top-tiered programs: 2018 National Champion (No. 1) Minnesota Duluth, No. 10 Minnesota State, and No. 17 Clarkson. The Desert Hockey Classic holds one of the best fields of all holiday tournaments and the Sun Devils square off against  Clarkson on the opening night of the tournament.

The Sun Devils compete against nine out of the top-20 throughout the year according to the USCHO Division I preseason poll. Powers see this opportunity as an added bonus throughout the stretch of the regular season.

“We arguably have the toughest schedule in the country again this year. You look at the teams we’re bringing in and the teams we’re going to pay. It’s tough. It’s really tough. Our guys collectively have seen it all. They’ve seen it all and they aren’t intimidated by anything,” Powers said. “We’ve gone into hostile, top-10, top-20 environments and won. So, every time we take the ice, we expect to win.”

Last season, ASU earned a 4-11-0 record against ranked teams, including close one-goal defeats to historically tough Division I opponents, such as 2018 Frozen Four participants Air Force Academy and Boston University.

ASU’s season kicks off with a four-game homestand, opening against Alaska Fairbanks October 5-6 and before No. 3 Ohio State comes to Tempe October 11-12.

The Sun Devils set off on their first road trip of the year against Alabama-Huntsville October 19-20, followed by a home series against Nebraska-Omaha October 26-27. ASU plays the Mavericks of UNO four times this year with a journey to Omaha November 23-24.

Beginning November, ASU sets out to No. 16 Penn State, a homecoming for rookie Austin Lemieux. The Sun Devils continue competition in the month with first-ever matchups at home against Michigan State and on the road against Harvard.

After their first bye week, the Sun Devils confront No. 14 Princeton December 7-8 and Colorado College December 14-15 before hosting the Desert Hockey Classic to close out 2018.

The 2019 calendar year opens up with heavy competition against historically tough programs across the eastern conferences. The Sun Devils take on No. 12 Boston College at home before embarking on three-straight road tilts against No. 7 Cornell, No. 8 Boston University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Sun Devils wrap up their final homestand of the year against American International February 15-16. The regular season winds down on the road against No. 13 Minnesota March 1-2.

With a young, talented roster on the rise and a challenging schedule, the Sun Devils will embark on the 2018-19 campaign hoping to build their tradition of hockey in the desert.

“Our guys are ready to go,” Powers said. “They’ve had a great month and a half of teamwork and we’re ready to go.”

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