Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN
The Arizona State Sun Devils took college hockey by storm during the 2018-’19 season, qualifying for the NCAA tournament as a fledgling program with few big names and even fewer expectations.
Powered by head coach Greg Powers’ stingy defensive system, an effective penalty kill and lights-out goaltending from Richter Award finalist Joey Daccord, Arizona State was able to steal games against historic programs like Michigan State, Boston University, and Boston College on the way to an excellent 21-13-1 record.
This year, the Sun Devils will face the daunting task of repeating last season’s success despite losing some of the main catalysts for their Cinderella run.
After their 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Daccord signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, becoming the first Arizona State hockey player to sign with an NHL team. Although Daccord had a fantastic career with the maroon and gold, Arizona State head coach Greg Powers insisted that the Sun Devils will be just fine without him.
“In the five games that we played in China we honestly didn’t even notice,” he said. “I think it’s one of those things that if you focus on too much then you’re losing focus of what’s really important.”
The man responsible for filling the void left by Daccord may be Max Prawdzik, a graduate transfer from Boston University who posted a cumulative .902 save percentage in six games over the last two seasons with the Terriers. Prawdzik also played for the NAHL’s Lone Star Brahmas in 2016-17, posting a .908 save percentage in 14 regular season games and an impressive .924 save percentage in 11 playoff starts.
Sophomore Evan DeBrouwer, who allowed a goal on two shots in his lone appearance last season, and true freshman Justin Robbins will also have a shot at the starting job.
To lead the goaltenders, the Sun Devils hired former Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes goalie Eddie Läck to be the new goalie coach in the offseason.
On defense, the Sun Devils will return most of their key contributors from last season.
Standout point man and team captain senior Brinson Pasichnuk returns for his senior season and will anchor a blue line that held opponents to a very respectable 31.9 shots per game last season.
Pasichnuk’s 30 points were good enough for second on the team and his +25 rating was the best by a wide margin. The Sun Devils will rely heavily on his offensive instincts and puck moving ability this coming season.
Despite his impressive scoring totals from last season, Pasichnuk spent the offseason working on his skating in hopes of posting even more eye-popping statistics this year.
“The main thing is just getting fast and developing more power,” he said. “I can feel that I’ve got an extra jump in my step.”
Pasichnuk and Josh Maniscalco, who logged 20 points and a +12 rating in his freshman season, will form a fearsome top pairing for Arizona State and will likely play heavy minutes against some of the NCAA’s premier scoring threats in 2019-20. Pasichnuk attributed their success to the bond they share both on and off the ice.
“We have confidence in each other,” Pasichnuk said. “If one of us makes a mistake the other one is going to bring us back up.”
The second pairing will likely feature freshman Jacob Semik and junior Jacob Wilson, who combined for 17 points last season. Sophomore Jarrod Gourley and junior Gvido Jansons will likely comprise the third pairing and round out what should be a stellar defensive corps for ASU.
Jansons, standing at 6’4 and weighing in at 210 pounds, was mostly used as a stay-at-home defenseman for the Sun Devils last season, but possesses more offensive upside and should find himself on the scoresheet more often this coming year.
Although the Sun Devils will sorely miss centerman Anthony Croston, who played in 127 games for the program over four years, they return star winger and fan-favorite, junior Johnny Walker, who led the team in scoring last year with 23 goals and 34 points.
Walker should be featured heavily on an Arizona State power play looking to improve on its 15.2% clip from last season and should be among the team’s leading scorers again in 2019-20. While his goal-scoring ability made him stand out last season, Walker is far from being a one-trick pony.
“I can play a heavy game too,” Walker said. “I try to be two-dimensional and contribute in other ways than just putting the puck in the net.”
Junior transfer Willie Knierim, a 6’4 winger who played 2 seasons for Miami University, will provide a much-needed boost of talent and looks to be another key contributor for the Sun Devils’ forward group.
Last season, Knierim played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, scoring 18 goals and 47 points in 60 regular season games.
Other newcomers include Knierim’s Fighting Saints teammate James Sanchez and freshman Logan Jenuwine, who scored a record breaking 60 goals in 59 games last season for the NAHL’s Amarillo Bulls. Both Sanchez and Jenuwine should also push for spots on one of the Devils’ top two lines.
“They’re fitting in really well,” said Johnny Walker, who has been playing on the same line as Sanchez in practice. “I’m really excited about my linemates.”
Meanwhile, senior Steenn Pasichnuk, redshirt sophomore Austin Lemieux, and sophomore Jordan Sandhu will all look to provide depth scoring for the Sun Devils’ attack, which averaged 3.5 goals and 29 shots per game in 2018-19.
While the expectations will certainly be higher for the Sun Devils this season, Powers’ team looks to be even more talented than the one that won 21 games in 2018-19.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to take us lightly,” Powers said. “We’ve proven that we belong at this level.”
