(Photo: Josh Eaton/WCSN)
With the race for a postseason spot being so tight, where every game matters, injuries to key players are the last thing any team wants to be dealing with. For Arizona State, it’s been plagued by the injury bug, keeping key players out for extended periods of time.
While the Sun Devils have weathered the injury storm throughout their season thus far, head coach Greg Powers announced Tuesday that star sophomore forward Cullen Potter would miss the remainder of the season. Potter suffered his injury in a 1-0 victory against Miami (OH) two weeks ago after a big hit at center ice sent him crumbling to the ground.
“Yeah, he’s out for the year, unfortunately,” Powers said, “His injury requires surgery. He’s going to get that on Thursday this week. Probably looking at a three-to-four-month recovery process. It’s unfortunate, and obviously a huge loss for us. My heart goes out to the kid because he was just playing so well.”
Potter has been an electric force on the offensive end for the Sun Devils, adding 21 points in his last 15 games. Potter was also part of ASU’s top line with Hobey Baker nominees senior forwards Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius, which at one point was the highest-scoring line in the country.
With Potter out, Powers will have to look in another direction to fill the center role on that top line. The two likely options are senior forward Kyle Smolen or junior forward Sean McGurn. Smolen would provide a net front presence for the top line, while McGurn could help with the forecheck. No matter who he chooses, the Sun Devils will have to go the rest of the season without the speed that Potter provided them.
“We still like what we have in the middle,” Powers said, “It’s just a great opportunity for guys like [Smolen] and [Sean McGurn], who’s now back to 100%. Logan Morrell and Braxton Whitehead to step up and guys to play with [Lucius and Schimek]. It’s a great opportunity.”
Whoever moves up to the Sun Devils’ top line will have a great opportunity to play with two of the top ten scoring forwards in the country. However, if ASU is to continue to win games, it will need scoring from other sources. The Sun Devils have only managed to win one game when their top line doesn’t score multiple points. Against Miami, ASU scored just two goals against the RedHawks, its lowest total in a weekend since January 2023, signifying the need for secondary scoring.
“Next guy up mentality,” Smolen said, “Everybody has to be ready. Everyone has to be hungry for their opportunity and their shot, because you only get so many opportunities like this to step up and make a difference for a team like this. So, you have to seize the moment.”
The Sun Devils’ third line, featuring sophomore forwards Logan Morrell and Noah Powell and freshman forward Sam Alfano, is in position to step up with Potter’s season-ending injury. The line has combined for 26 points on the season, the second most of any other line on the team, including Noah Powell’s third-period game-winner to save a regulation win for ASU against Miami.
“[Morrell, Alfano, and Powell] are our identity line,” Powers said, “They’re big, they’re hard. They forecheck. They’re heavy on pucks. They’re responsible defensively. They’re good on the wall. They’re our identity line. We go as they go. [Potter, Lucius, and Schimek] have been a great scoring line, dynamic and unbelievable at what they do. But, we generally win our games when that line is doing what they do best.”
With the Sun Devils welcoming in No. 4 North Dakota, their third line provided the production that Powers is asking for this weekend, the last time they played the Fighting Hawks. In their earlier season split, the Sun Devils lost game one, but were able to salvage a split behind a great performance from the Morrell line, including a goal from Morrell to give the Sun Devils the lead.
Since the split with ASU, the Fighting Hawks have averaged 3.67 goals per game, leading them to become the sixth-highest scoring offense in the country with only two losses in that stretch. North Dakota is led by senior forward Ben Strinden, who scored three of his 13 goals against the Sun Devils on his way to being named NCHC Forward of the Week for his efforts.
On the back end, North Dakota only gives up 2.08 goals per game, tied for fifth in the country. The Fighting Hawks have a top goaltending duo in the country, as freshman Jan Špunar possesses the highest winning percentage in the nation (.857) while being backed up by former Sun Devil graduate student goalie Gibson Homer.
“These guys are really good,” Powers said. “We know how good they are. We’ve already played them, but we also already beaten them. We’re excited to have them come into our building. They’re coming off a loss, so they’re going to be dialed, they’re going to be hard. They’re pretty much fully healthy minus a kid they’ve had out for most of the year, so they are going to be a handful.”
With North Dakota ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Percentage Index, this weekend serves as a chance for ASU’s ranking at No. 23 to skyrocket. With six weeks remaining in the regular season, the Sun Devils will have to take advantage of every opportunity to make up significant ground for their postseason push.
“We moved up this weekend in the NPI without even playing, which is great,” Powers said, “The margin between 24 and 15 is so minuscule right now that with a successful weekend, we are really in a position where we can make hay here at home. That’s the focus.”
There will be no shortage of opportunities for the Sun Devils to rise in the rankings, as four of their next six opponents are currently ranked above them in the NPI. However, with all of the injuries, the physicality of the NCHC has the chance to take a toll on an already beat-up team. In order to push through it, ASU will need every player possible to have their best performance.
“It’s definitely hard,” freshman forward Ben Kevan said, “Every game is a battle and every game feels like a playoff game. Going into it, that’s what [Smolen, Lucius, and Schimek] would say, and it’s definitely true. Every game is a battle. Every game is hard. Learning that and learning the ropes. Always giving your best. Even if you don’t have your A game, you have to bring your B game.”
ASU is 8-3 in its last 11 games and will hope to continue that run of form as it has three home series against top NCHC teams. The Sun Devils will kick off the weekend at 7 p.m. MST at Mullet Arena against North Dakota.
“It’s been a tough month and a half from an injury standpoint,” Powers said, “But from a results standpoint, it’s been our best month and a half. So, it speaks to the depth we have. It speaks to the belief we have in every guy in that room to step up in moments that we’re short, and they’ve done it. There’s no reason we should change or will change moving forward. We’re not going to suck our thumbs and feel sorry for ourselves.”
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