Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey
The Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Arizona State University. It primarily plays at the Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe, but occasionally plays games at Glendale's Gila River Arena (home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes).
| Arizona State Sun Devils | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
 | |
| University | Arizona State University |
| Conference | Independent |
| First season | 2015–16 |
| Head coach | Greg Powers 6th season, 66–86–14 (.440) |
| Arena | Oceanside Ice Arena/Gila River Arena Capacity: 747[1]/17,125 |
| Location | Tempe, Arizona |
| Colors | Maroon and Gold[2] |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2019 | |
| ACHA Tournament championships | |
| 2014, 2015 | |
The Sun Devils initially competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Since the 2015–16 season, it has competed as an independent in NCAA Division I—one of only two teams to do so. Arizona State also maintains both WCHL Club Level teams with the WCHL D-1 Sun Devils, and the PAC-8 D-2 Sun Devils, respectively.
History
Hockey began as a sport at Arizona State in the fall of 1973 with ASU students gathering at Tower Ice Plaza in Central Phoenix to play pick up hockey amongst each other. As collegiate club hockey evolved throughout the country, so did hockey at Arizona State. By the late 80's ASU was fielding a full-fledged ice hockey team competing in Division II of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. In 1993, General Manager Mike Hoffarth led the program to achieving ACHA Division I status propelling the Sun Devil hockey program into the national spotlight by qualifying for the ACHA Division I National Tournament just two years later in the 1995–96 season. Then Head Coach, Gene Hammett would lead the program to three straight National Tournament appearances from 1995 to 1998.[3]
ASU qualified for 10 ACHA Division I National Tournaments since competing at the Division I level in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, and developed 12 ACHA Division I All-Americans. In the 2013–14 season, the team won its first ACHA National Championship, defeating Robert Morris University-Illinois.
On November 18, 2014, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson announced that the Sun Devils would move to NCAA Division I ice hockey. The transition was funded by a $32 million donation by multiple parties (including former ASU hockey players). As a transitionary season, the Sun Devils played a split schedule between ACHA and NCAA games during the 2015–16 season, before migrating exclusively to NCAA play the following season. The Sun Devils were expected to begin as an independent, but pursue conference membership in the future.[4]
In the 2018–19 season, Arizona State received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, in only its third season as a Division I team. They were defeated by the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the regional semifinals.[5][6]
On October 6, 2020, the school and the Big Ten Conference announced that the team's entire season would be played on the road, with the Sun Devils playing each of the seven Big Ten hockey teams four times for a 28-game season. This would assure the team a full season schedule that would have otherwise been subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to avoid conflicts with the Coyotes at Gila River Arena due to the delay of the 2020-21 NHL season. However, ASU is still classified as an independent program and therefore will not be eligible for the conference tournament, nor will games against ASU count in the conference standings for the Big Ten teams .[7]
Player Hall of Fame Inductees
Steve Hammett, Forward 1994–1998: Inducted 2009
Greg Powers, Goaltender 1995–1999: Inducted 2009
Adam Blossey, Defense 2001–2005: Inducted 2009
Tony Bonacorso, Defense 2004–2008, Inducted 2010
Ian Smith, Forward 1999–2003, Inducted 2010
Executive Hall of Fame Inductees
Gene Hammett, Head Coach 1992–2000: Inducted 2008
Mike Hoffarth, General Manager 1988–1999: Inducted 2008
Don Mullet, Donor: Inducted 2008
John Wold, Head Coach, General Manager, Oversight Committee 2001–present: Inducted 2009
Wayne Reid, Assistant Coach, Director of Hockey Ops, Oversight Committee 1992–present: Inducted 2009
Doug Maire, Video Coach, Projects Manager Executive Hall of Fame Inducted 2013, Lifetime Service Award 2014
National Tournament Appearances
1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98*, 2000–01*, 2003–2004, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–15
Final Four appearances: 2013, 2014, 2015
Awards and honors
All-Americans
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
- 2018–19: Joey Daccord, G
ACHA Division I All-Americans
Steve Hammett, Forward: 1997–98
Greg Powers, Goaltender: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99
Ian Smith, Forward: 2000–01, 2001–02 (Team USA, World University Games 2002)
Nils Satterstom, Forward: 2000–01
Adam Blossey, Defense: 2003–04, 2004–05 (Team USA, World University Games 2005)
Tony Bonacorso, Defense: 2006–07, 2007–08 (Team USA, World University Games 2008)
Joe Schweiger, Forward: 2008–09 (Eastern Michigan), 2009–10, 2010–11
Mark Schacker, Goaltender: 2010–11, 2011–12
Kale Dolinski, Forward: 2012–13
Colin Hekle, Forward: 2012–13
Ryan Clark, Defense: 2012–13
Joe D’Elia, Goaltender: 2012–13 [8]
Arena
The Sun Devils play most of their home games at the Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe. Selected games each season are played at Glendale's Gila River Arena, home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.[9] With the move to NCAA Division I, Anderson stated they planed to pursue an on-campus arena in the future.[4] In the meantime, Oceanside underwent a renovation for the 2015 to bring its facilities to NCAA standards.[10]
In November 2020, the Arizona Board of Regents' finance committee approved plans to construct a new, 5,000-seat indoor arena on-campus near Desert Financial Arena, which is expected to house the school's hockey, gymnastics, and wrestling programs among others.[11][12][13]
Season-by-season results
All-time coaching records
As of April 30, 2020
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–Present | Greg Powers | 5 | 66–86–14 | .440 |
| Totals | 1 coaches | 5 seasons | 66–86–14 | .440 |
Team
2020–21 roster
As of January 3, 2021.[15]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  |
Connor Stuart | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1997-02-12 | Phoenix, Arizona | Lone Star (NAHL) | — |
| 3 |  |
Gvido Jansons | Senior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 1997-01-09 | Grobiņa, Latvia | Aston (NAHL) | — |
| 4 |  |
Jacob Wilson (C) | Senior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1997-02-27 | Ballwin, Missouri | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 7 | |
Johnny Walker (C) | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1996-08-21 | Phoenix, Arizona | Chicago (USHL) | — |
| 8 |  |
Tanner Hickey | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1999-04-30 | Leduc, Alberta | Alabama Huntsville (WCHA) | — |
| 9 |  |
Sean Dhooghe | Senior | F | 5' 3" (1.6 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | 1999-03-09 | Aurora, Illinois | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | — |
| 10 |  |
Michael Mancinelli | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-06-28 | Northville, Michigan | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 11 | |
Benji Eckerle | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1999-09-24 | Northville, Michigan | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 13 |  |
Chris Grando | Junior (RS) | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | 1998-08-22 | Islip, New York | Boston College (HEA) | — |
| 15 |  |
Carson Kosobud | Freshman | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1999-06-04 | Moorhead, Minnesota | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 17 | |
Jacob Semik | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2000-03-10 | Canton, Michigan | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 18 | |
Jax Murray | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1998-12-26 | Princeton, Minnesota | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — |
| 19 |  |
Jordan Sandhu (A) | Junior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 1999-05-13 | Richmond, British Columbia | Vernon (BCHL) | — |
| 20 | |
Filips Buncis | Senior | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 1997-06-12 | Jelgava, Latvia | Johnstown (NAHL) | — |
| 21 |  |
Peter Zhong | Sophomore (RS) | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1998-07-30 | Beijing, China | Philadelphia Rebels (NAHL) | — |
| 22 | |
Jack Judson | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2000-02-26 | White Rock, British Columbia | Vernon (BCHL) | — |
| 23 | |
Demetrios Koumontzis | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2000-03-24 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Edina (USHS–MN) | CGY, 108th overall 2018 |
| 25 | |
P. J. Marrocco | Junior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1997-08-27 | Edmonton, Alberta | Chilliwack (BCHL) | — |
| 28 |  |
Matthew Kopperud | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1999-08-04 | Denver, Colorado | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 29 | |
William Knierim | Senior | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 1998-01-22 | Skokie, Illinois | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 30 |  |
Evan DeBrouwer | Junior | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1997-01-30 | Blenheim, Ontario | Prince George (BCHL) | — |
| 31 |  |
Justin Robbins | Sophomore | G | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 158 lb (72 kg) | 1999-03-10 | Alpine, New Jersey | Chicago (USHL) | — |
| 33 |  |
Bronson Moore | Junior | G | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 161 lb (73 kg) | 1997-11-004 | Kennewick, Washington | Minnesota (USPHL) | — |
| 34 | |
Cole Brady | Freshman | G | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2001-02-12 | Pickering, Ontario | Fargo (USHL) | NJD, 127th overall 2019 |
| 37 |  |
Dominic Garcia (A) | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | 1996-10-30 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Aston (NAHL) | — |
| 39 |  |
Ryan O'Reilly | Freshman | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2000-03-21 | Southlake, Texas | Green Bay (USHL) | DET, 98th overall 2018 |
| 60 | |
Jarrod Gourley | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 1999-06-29 | Calgary, Alberta | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 61 | |
James Sanchez | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1998-02-25 | Northbrook, Illinois | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
Head coach
Coach Powers has been on the Sun Devil Coaching Staff for 12 years, and enters his fifth year as Head Coach of ASU's NCAA Division 1 Hockey Program. Coach Powers was a finalist for the 2019 Spencer Penrose Award, which is awarded to the NCAA Division 1 Coach Of The Year.
Prior to becoming an NCAA Division 1 hockey team, Coach Powers helped guide the Sun Devils to their first ACHA Division 1 National Championship.
During the 2018-2019 hockey season, Coach Powers and his staff led the Sun Devils to become the fastest start-up program to qualify for the NCAA Division 1 Tournament in NCAA History. The Sun Devils finished the season ranked 10th in the Pairwise rankings.
Coach Powers was a three time ACHA Division 1 All-American Goaltender while playing hockey for the Sun Devils, and graduated from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 1999. Powers was also inducted into the ASU Hockey Player Hall Of Fame in 2009.
Assistants and staff
- Alex Hicks - Assistant Coach (former 15-year professional career including 5 years in the NHL with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, and the Florida Panthers)
- Mike Field - Associate Head Coach (former Assistant Coach Division I and United States Hockey League)
- Eddie Lack - Volunteer Coach (former 9-year professional career including 5 years in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, and the New Jersey Devils).
- Andrew Matheson - Director of Hockey Operations
- Jon Laughner - Coordinator, Equipment Operations
- Liane Blyn - Head Coach, Olympic Sports
- CJ Clarizio - Assistant Athletic Trainer
- Chase Drieberg - Equipment Student Manager
References
- http://www.oceansideicearena.net/pages/about/arena-info
- "ASU Logos | Arizona State University official logo". Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- Reed, Bethany. "ASU hockey player turns his game around, gets his chance on the ice". cronkitenewsonline.com. Cronkite News. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- Dilks, Chris (2014-11-18). "Arizona State Press Conference Recap". SB Nation College Hockey. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- Metcalfe, Jeff. "ASU hockey making historic NCAA Tournament debut vs. familiar foe". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- "ASU hockey beaten by Quinnipiac in first NCAA Tournament apperance [sic]". Arizona Sports. 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- Metcalfe, Jeff (6 October 2020). "ASU hockey to play away only 2020-21 season against Big Ten teams". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- http://www.zonethemes.com/sundevilhockey.com/DI/?page_id=36
- "ASU hockey to call Oceanside home another season". The State Press. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- "ASU Hockey: Oceanside Ice Arena renovation plans revealed". House of Sparky. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- Cameron, Greg. "Q&A With ... Arizona State AD Ray Anderson". College Hockey News.
- Tapia, Monica. "RFP Issued for New ASU Multi-Purpose Sports Arena". azbex.com. BEX azbex.
- "ASU's plans for new $115 million hockey arena approved by committee". Arizona Sports. 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- "Arizona State Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Arizona State University. Retrieved July 25, 2018.