(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
This past Saturday, Arizona State hockey used late heroics to seal a tie with No. 10 Michigan and go 0-1-1 in the weekend’s two-game set. It was the Sun Devils’ most difficult series of the season by proxy — their only other series was against Air Force, now the No. 36 team in the PairWise Rankings.
But the gauntlet of challenging opponents has only begun for ASU. 10 of the Sun Devils’ (1-2-1) remaining 15 series against NCAA teams are against opponents currently inside the USCHO’s Top 20 Poll, starting with this weekend’s date at No. 14 Providence (0-1-0).
Coming into this weekend, Providence only has one game under its belt, a 5-2 loss at No. 6 North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, but that’s not to say the expectations surrounding 14th-year head coach Nate Leaman’s squad aren’t sky-high. Picked third in the Hockey East’s Preseason Coaches Poll, this season isn’t only supposed to be successful for Providence; if all goes according to plan, it has the potential to be the program’s best since it won the national championship in 2014-15.
A big reason why the Friars are poised for so much success in 2024-25 is the depth they return up front despite losing Bennett Schimek, who transferred to ASU during the offseason. All four of its top-scoring forwards from 2023-24 — graduate Nick Poisson (24 points), sophomore Tanner Adams (21 points), graduate Chase Yoder (20 points) and sophomore Hudson Malinoski (18 points) — are returning for this season.
While Providence lost Schimek to ASU in the portal, it got a player in return. During the offseason, forward Ryan O’Reilly announced he was leaving Tempe after four seasons and joining the Friars for his graduate year. In 124 games for the Sun Devils, he tallied 55 points.
It won’t only be the experienced returners finding their way onto the scoresheet, though. Providence boasts perhaps one of the most talented freshman classes in the entire nation. This crop of nine first-year players is headlined by three skilled forwards: Trevor Connelly, John Mustard and Logan Sawyer.
If you follow hockey, you’ve probably heard Connelly’s name around the news recently. That’s because the Vegas Golden Knights selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. This high pick was well-deserved, as he notched 125 points in 109 games through two seasons with the United States Hockey League (USHL), including a 78-point campaign in 2023-24. While he has a nose for the net and can score with his strong shot, Connelly also uses his speed to create scoring chances and find his teammates in opportunistic spots, much like ASU freshman forward Cullen Potter.
Though they aren’t first-round picks, Mustard and Sawyer were each taken in the third round of this year’s draft at 67th and 78th respectively. A pure sniper who also has speed in his arsenal, Mustard enjoyed great success in his lone season in the USHL, putting up 56 points in 60 games and winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
Sawyer also proved an effective forward in juniors, playing in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) last season. Although he only played in 20 games, he finished with 19 points and displayed an ability to be an effective two-way forward who can get it done on defense.
All of this offensive firepower will be playing in front of a sound defense that has been among the nation’s best over the past three years. Last season, the Friars allowed the sixth-fewest goals per game (2.4) while conceding the second-least shots per game (23.1) in the nation. Five of Providence’s nine defensemen are upperclassmen, which will provide a wealth of experience on the blue line.
Senior defenseman Richard Guillaume stands out among the crowd for his offensive upside, as he contributed 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 35 games last year. Graduate Connor Kelley was also reliable in his own end, as he was tied for the second-highest plus/minus (+7) on the team.
Providence’s most important defender, however, is undoubtedly junior netminder Philip Svedebäck. ASU is quite familiar with him — he played in both games when the Friars visited Tempe last year and went 1-1. Svedebäck was one of the country’s top goaltenders last year, posting a 2.32 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
It’s clear Providence will pose a stiff challenge for ASU this weekend, but facing tough competition is something head coach Greg Powers’ squad is going to need to quickly get used to. The Sun Devils got their first taste of facing a ranked opponent last weekend and will look to pick up their first ranked victory of the season in New England.
