(Photo: Gabrielle Mercer/WCSN)
“Be the tradition.”
That has been Arizona State head coach Greg Powers’ emphasis to his squad throughout its short existence as a NCAA team. As the Sun Devils head into their third season as an Independent, they will look to improve upon their 10-19-3 record.
ASU finished strong last season, tacking on a win against then-No. 17 Quinnipiac and earning ties on the road against then-No. 9 Western Michigan and then No. 10-Ohio State. The Sun Devils went 3-3-2 in their final eight games.
With plenty of old and new faces making up the team this year, here are five burning questions for ASU before the open the season in an exhibition game against NAIT.
1. Who gets the most starts in net?
One of the strengths of last year’s Sun Devil team was their three-headed monster in net of Joey Daccord, Robert Levin and Ryland Pashovitz. Levin, who has graduated, received the most amount of starts (13) of the three, but Daccord had about 24 more minutes of total ice time and played in 15 games, starting 12 of them.
Freshman Mike DePhillips replaces Levin as the third goalie on the roster, but he figures to be the understudy to Daccord and Pashovitz this season. The junior Pashovitz has an additional year of experience compared to Daccord, who is entering his sophomore season, but the latter posted the better goals against average (4.03-4.64) and save percentage (.892-.880) in 2016-2017.
2. Who will be the most impactful recruit?
Last year, players such as forward Tyler Busch and defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk made an immediate impact in their freshman seasons. Some of the top incoming freshmen this season include defensemen Jacob Wilson and Gvido Jansons, a native of Latvia, who were both listed in the top 25 of incoming NCAA hockey recruits born in 1997.
Both Jansons and Wilson are scoring-minded defensemen in the mold of Pasichnuk. Other freshmen with the potential to make an impact include forwards Johnny Walker and Dominic Garcia.
3. What can be expected from grad transfer Gage Hough?
ASU has had its fair share of success with transfers, as Robbie Baillargeon (21) and Wade Murphy (20) were tied for first and second respectively in points last season. Neither will be on the team this season, but the Sun Devils will have forward Gage Hough, a grad transfer from UMass-Lowell.
Hough posted 10 points in three seasons for the River Hawks and had a +/- of 8. He should be implement himself into the mix immediately.
4. What can we expect from the Sun Devil captains?
For the second consecutive year, junior Dylan Hollman will serve as ASU’s captain, while juniors Anthony Croston and Louie Rowe will be the alternates. All three have put in place the foundation that Powers has preached. Croston caught fire mid-season last year and finished up with a team-leading 21 points. Hollman and Rowe weren’t far behind with 17 apiece.
The three combined for 22 goals, all of which were at either even strength or shorthanded.
5. What are reasonable expectations for the team this season?
The Sun Devils currently face five ranked teams this season, a total they have been accustomed to due to a treacherous schedule that Powers has scheduled for them. It seems that facing challenging teams has helped ASU in the long run, as it has gotten stronger in the second half of the season.
With two years already under their belt, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the Sun Devils to finish around .500 this season.
