(Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN)

The Arizona State men’s hockey team rose out of the depths of irrelevancy and into the spotlight this year, riding one of the most surprising success stories of college hockey to the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in their fourth Divison I season.

While a first-round exit against Quinnipiac left a sour taste to end their 21-win campaign, ASU’s sweet season-long success has left the door wide open for an even brighter future.

That brighter future shines right along the Valley’s horizon – an orange sun peaking over Camelback Mountain.

The Sun Devils officially announced the 2019 spring signing class last week. Six skaters are set to join the maroon and gold and Powers believes the No. 16-ranked recruitment class in the nation, according to neutralzone.net, will “make the most immediate impact yet.”

“We believe this class from top to bottom has the potential to make the most immediate impact yet, as it has everything and rounds out our roster incredibly well at every position,” Powers said to Sun Devil Athletics. “The balance, depth, and most importantly, competition in practice created from our depth will lead to another big step forward for our program. Every single one of these players want to ‘Be The Tradition’ so we expect them to come right in and help us continue to enhance our culture.”

Four forwards and two defensemen make up the 2019 recruitment class, headlined by the North American Hockey League’s best: Logan Jenuwine.

Jenuwine stands out as the cream of the crop after lighting up the NAHL in record-breaking fashion.

The Romero, Mich., native obliterated the NAHL single-season goals record with 60 goals in 59 games with the Amarillo Bulls.

“Logan is one of the most decorated and gifted goal scorers we have seen in a long time,” Powers said. “His numbers prove that and he will be a welcomed addition and provide much-needed scoring to our lineup.”

On top of his breakout season, Jenuwine paced the league with 104 points and a +51 plus/minus, carrying the Bulls to the No. 1 seed in the South Division with a 46-8-3-3 record.

Before beginning his junior career, the 2016 Mr. Hockey Michigan Award winner helped lead the Romeo High Hockey team to a state championship.

Jenuwine is a pure sniper with an exceptionally high hockey IQ. His wicked release and shot accuracy made the 20-year-old winger the most lethal scorer in the NAHL.

Pairing Jenuwine with Calgary Flames draft pick Demetrios Koumontzis, a primary play-making expert, could give the Sun Devils a dynamic duo in the top six.

Jenuwine is undoubtedly the best scorer with this year’s recruitment class, but Jax Murray brings a complete 200-foot game as the first-ever Sun Devil to commit from the State of Hockey.

The Elk River, Minn., native recorded back-to-back 40-point seasons with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the NAHL. Murray led the Ice Dogs as their lone 20-goal scorer, finishing with 43 points in 57 games, which ranked third on the team last season.

In the first season of his junior career, Murray tallied 13 goals and 40 points in 48 games, earning 2017-2018 NAHL All-Rookie Second Team honors.

“Jax is another incredibly high character kid that can play up and down the lineup,” Powers said. “He has the skill, speed and hockey IQ to contribute offensively, and the grit and responsibility defensively to play that role if needed as well.”

Murray excels at two-way hockey, similarly to PJ Marrocco’s role during his ASU rookie season. Murray probably won’t serve as a prolific threat like Jenuwine, but might be trusted with creating seam passes in the neutral zone to generate scoring chances to supplement ASU’s forward depth.

There is strong connection between the Sun Devils and the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

With assistant coach Mike Field previously coaching the program, ASU has found a home for a trio of Fighting Saints in this year’s recruitment class.

James Sanchez made his mark at the college level before committing to the Sun Devils, skating two seasons at the University of Michigan before moving to the USHL with Dubuque.

Sanchez tallied his first-ever collegiate assist in 2016-17 against Arizona State, but he did not stop there. One year later, Sanchez potted a pair of goals against the Sun Devils.

Now, after a earning an “A” with the Fighting Saints and scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 45 games last season, Murray returns to the NCAA to sport maroon and gold in the upcoming season.

“James is an incredibly gifted big body with a level of skill our forward group will really benefit from,” Powers said.

Sanchez also holds two years of experience in the United States National Team Development Program under his belt, joining former Fighting Saint Josh Maniscalco as the only two players to commit to ASU as prior members of the USNTDP.

Sanchez’s college experience with the Wolverines will grow ASU’s young and budding core and is bound to make an instant impact as a power forward with a driven, hard-nosed mentality to lead on the ice.

William Knierim molds together a similar story to his Dubuque linemate Sanchez.

Knierim began his NCAA career at Miami of Ohio for two seasons before going back to the USHL to play for the Dubuque Fighting Saints last year. As the second alternate captain, Knierim posted 18 goals and 47 points in 60 games, collecting the third highest point total while holding a team-high +12 plus/minus.

“Willie is just the kind of kid that makes everyone better around him,” Powers said. “Aside from being the ultimate team-guy with incredibly high character, he’s really found his game this year in Dubuque and gives us a big body that can score, as evidenced by his production this season. We can’t wait to see him in a Sun Devil jersey.”

Knierim’s style of play is aggressive. He’s not afraid to play the heavy body during dump-and-chases to force turnovers in the offensive territory. Even though he profiles as a physical presence with his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, the Skokie, Ill., native offers offensive production too, making the 21-year-old a potential fit on the Sun Devils’ heavy fore-check on the third or fourth line.

Completing the trio of Fighting Saint signees, Jacob Simek bolsters the Sun Devils’ blue line as a highly-skilled catalyst.

The third alternate captain for Dubuque registered 20 points in 59 games played. A left-handed shot from the point, Simek strives at jumping up during offensive rushes and stretching the ice with cross-ice passes.

“Jacob is a tremendously talented defenseman that is incredibly cerebral in every zone,” Powers said. “He can move the puck and make plays from the back end, and helps us round out a d-core we think is one of the best in all of college hockey.”

If Semik can play heavy minutes like Maniscalco’s first year on the top pairing, ASU’s blue line core could be the strongest the program has ever seen.

Rounding out the 2019 recruitment class is Jack Judson, who committed to ASU in 2016 and is the youngest signee after tallying 32 points in 50 games with the Vernon Vipers in the British Columbia Hockey League.

“Jack has been committed to us for a few years and brings a level of hockey IQ and offense to our back end that we just simply haven’t had,” Powers said. “He plays with an edge defensively and moves the puck at an elite level. He is going to be a great Sun Devil.”

After riding out the rest of the BCHL playoffs, Judson will find a familiar face in Tempe with Jordan Sandhu after playing together with the Vernon during the 2017-2018 season.

It might take some time for Judson to mature and earn a key role on ASU’s blue line. But with small skating adjustments to reinforce his stick-handling skill set, the 19-year-old native of White Rock, British Columbia, could quickly find his stride with the Sun Devils.

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