The NCAA kicks off its season on Oct.4, when the coaches will be back behind the bench, and fans will be back in the stands. For the Arizona State University Sun Devils and head coach Greg Powers, there’s no slowing down before opening night. The Sun Devils recently joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), arguably the best conference in the country, with teams such as the University of Michigan, University of Denver, and University of Minnesota-Duluth — eight of the nine teams in the NCHC rank in the United States College Hockey Organization (USCHO) preseason poll.
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“In this league, there are no nights off, and you have to stay here if you’re going to have success,” Powers said at his opening press conference on Tuesday. “So, we wanted to build an old team this year, and we did, you know, full of kids that maybe transfer to places that have been through the rigors of a really tough league schedule, and hopefully, that pays off.”
Powers and the Sun Devils will face many challenges throughout the season, but joining the NCHC may prove to be the biggest.
Transfer Portal Brings in Plenty of Experience to Team
After a disappointing end to what started as a promising season, it was time to flip the script entering the summer of 2024. One way they could do that was by hitting the transfer portal, which rewarded them with six transfers: junior forward Cruz Lucius, junior forward Bennett Schimek, senior forward Ryan Kirwan, graduate defenseman Noah Beck, graduate forward Artem Shlaine, and senior goaltender Luke Pavicich.
The team got a lot older, which can be a bad thing, but for ASU, getting older and adding experience will only help them. That’s what Powers and company were looking for entering the offseason.
“Kids that have been through the rigors of a conference schedule, and going into this year, we’re old, we’re experienced,” Powers said. “Whether it be guys that have been with our program and are really proud of what they helped build, or guys like Artem Shlaine, who’s a fifth-year guy and led Northern Michigan in scoring and was their captain, or Cruz Lucius, who was the leading scorer at Wisconsin, the list goes on and on.”
While the Sun Devils may have lacked experience in the past, it will be an area of strength entering the season.
Freshman Will be Called Upon, Especially Cullen Potter
Though the transfer portal presented the Sun Devils with some much-needed experience and grit, it’s impossible to build a team that way only; recruiting needs to be top-class, given the NCHC and its powerhouse teams. That being said, ASU did well in this department, getting defenseman Joel Kjellberg, forward Cullen Potter, defenseman Hunter Mullett, defenseman Sam Court, goaltender Zakari Brice, and defenseman Brasen Boser.
In any collegiate sport, recruiting is imperative. ASU did well this offseason, especially with Potter, who is projected by many to go in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. “Obviously, Cullen Potter, who’s our only freshman forward,” Powers said. “They’re all going to make mistakes. They’re freshman, but we’re going to let them play through those, and they’re high pieces of the present and huge pieces of the future.”
“He has a huge IQ. He’s actually a really, really bright player, especially when he has the puck,” Powers said. “We’ve got to find ways in every situation to when he’s on the ice to make sure he’s in a situation where he has the puck because he can make plays. He’s not just a speed burner; his speed and his skating is world-class, but he can really think the game.”
Potter de-committed from the Michigan State Spartans earlier this summer and will have every opportunity to blossom in the desert.
Optimism Fuels Sun Devils’ Ambitions for 2024-25
On Monday, the United States College Hockey Organization (USCHO) released its preseason rankings, which had the Sun Devils at 20, tied with Northeastern. Of course, we know Power’s team missed the NCAA tournament last year for several reasons, but this season, optimism fuels the team as expectations remain high.
“I think realistic expectations are to host a playoff series,” Powers said. “I think that if you get into this league, and you can host a playoff series, you’re getting into the tournament, right? We want to fill Mullett [Mullett Arena] with a playoff atmosphere, and having the opportunity to do that this year is realistic.”
Expectations are also high for graduate senior Lukas Sillinger, who’s entering his third season with the Sun Devils. Last season, Sillinger scored 11 goals and 48 points in 37 games to lead the team in assists and points. Sillinger was a dominant force and should be again this season.
“Just continuing the season I had from last year,” Sillinger said. Obviously, team success is what leads to individual success, so as long as we’re taking care of each and every game on the weekend, things will fall into place individually.”
Now that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, the spotlight will be on Arizona State Sun Devils in 2024-25.
The 2024-25 Season Will Have Plenty of Adversity, Challenges for ASU
Entering the NCHC is no easy feat; the teams coming into town every weekend will have elite rosters, so there will be no nights off in the desert, as Powers said. Michigan University will arrive at Mullett Arena for the home opener on Oct. 11-12. With heightened expectations and lofty goals, the Sun Devils will be an exciting team to watch this season, with plenty of talent throughout the lineup. ASU kicks off the season on Oct. 4-5 in Colorado when they take on Air Force.
