Photo: (Kylee Meter/WCSN)
“If you build it, they will come.” An old adage from the 1989 classic Field of Dreams. While there is no baseball diamond being built in a cornfield, there is a steadily building hockey program being constructed in the middle of a desert.
ASU hockey is a far cry from where it was in its first full season three years ago. Since then, the team has consistently improved its structure, racking up accolade after accolade.
From having a top-ten recruiting class according to NeutralZone.net in 2017, to housing two Hobey Baker Award nominees in junior forward Johnny Walker and now Ottawa Senators’ goaltender Joey Daccord last season. All while qualifying for the NCAA tournament faster than any other program in history. They also did all of it without being in a conference.
The team claimed victory in the Renaissance Cup over KHL opponent Kunlun Red Star in Beijing earlier this year, adding to the trophy case spilling over with awards.
With all the accolades continuing to pour into this young Sun Devil program, high talent players are committing themselves to a school located in a place that has 110 degree heat on a regular basis.
As the program enters its fourth full season under the DI banner, it’s no longer just youth talent donning the pitchfork for the first time.
Now, other players from around the NCAA landscape are making the jump for an opportunity to represent the maroon and gold.
This season, four transfers came to ASU in pursuit of a deep tournament run. Three of which, look to make an impact immediately. But what exactly enticed the players to come to the Valley? Well, the reasons are a bit different for each player.
For fifth year graduate student and goaltender Max Prawdzik, it was the opportunity to compete for a starting netminder spot that enticed the 22-year-old to come to Arizona.
“Coming here was a true open battle,” the Boston University transfer said. “Whoever is the best is going to play.”
This year, Prawdzik is competing for the no.1 spot between the pipes with incoming freshman Justin Robbins and sophomore Evan DeBrouwer. DeBrouwer was Joey Daccord’s backup last season.
Prawdzik said, “There’s no outside pressures to play the goalie other than who’s going to give our team the best chance to win, and that’s the most attractive situation I can find.”
For junior forward James Sanchez, he views his transfer as catching a wave before everyone else does.
“It’s [transfering] definitely jumping on a ship that’s about to take off,” Sanchez said. “It’s exciting to be here. And if you look at this place, it’s a paradise.”
Sanchez comes to ASU by way of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL last season as an alternate captain, and the University of Michigan the year before that. Between the two programs, Sanchez tallied 61 points in 106 games.
“This is a program that we [transfers] have all trusted that it’s going to take us to the next level,” Sanchez said.
Joining Sanchez on the Sun Devils is fellow Fighting Saints teammate and junior forward William Knierim.
When it came to choosing a university to return to, Knierim echoed the same train of thought that his Debuque teammate did: win.
“For me at least, I wanted to come to a program that was going to win,” Knierim said. “And I believe that ASU is going to do that.”
Knierim served as an alternate captain alongside Sanchez last season with Dubuque scoring 18 goals and racking up 29 assists. The year prior, Knierim completed his sophomore year at Miami of Ohio, only scoring 9 points in two years.
Finally, redshirted junior forward Chris Grando rounds out this year’s transfer list. The second Bostoner, hailing from Boston College, Grando will have to sit out the 2019-20 campaign due to transfer rules.
Even still, ASU head coach Greg Powers has made it very apparent of how he intends to utilize the explosive skater’s transfer year.
“He’s going to be playing with guys on that ‘fifth-line’ pretty much all year in practice,” Powers said. “And his job will be to try to make those guys look as good as possible to help them get into the lineup.”
In the last few seasons, ASU has proven itself to be not just a program that has beautiful weather all-year round. The program has built itself up on the backs of adversity and success.
And now, they’re sowing the seeds of the program they built in the desert.
“If you build it, he will come.”
