2026 Arizona State hockey portal tracker

When the Frozen Four ended on Saturday night with Denver hoisting their record 11th national championship trophy, all attention in the college hockey world turned to the transfer portal that opened on April 13th.

Even before the portal officially opened, rumors were swirling. By the time the dust settled on Day 1, nine Sun Devils had entered the portal. The most significant entrant was Cullen Potter, moving to his original commitment destination of Michigan State. The sophomore phenom became the first Sun Devil selected in the first round of the NHL draft last June and was steps away from being named to the 2026 World Junior Championship squad for Team USA before having his season cut short by injury in early January. Of the remaining entrants, seven of them have found new homes for next season:

F Carmelo Crandell - Colorado College
D Brasen Boser - North Dakota
D Justin Kipkie - St. Thomas
D Sam Court - Minnesota State
D Joel Kjellberg - Northeastern
D Anthony Dowd - UMass-Lowell
D Austin Zemlak - Ferris State
F Ty Nash - TBD

Zemlak's entry presents a case that is similar to what already exists for players who came to NCAA hockey via the USHL. Even though Austin left Arizona State after 5 games to get more consistent playing time in the Western Hockey League with the Edmonton Oil Kings, he still had to formally enter the transfer portal since he was still "rostered" by the Sun Devils.

The loss is undeniable. Of the players that were on the roster for the season finale at Denver on February 28th, 13 players plus the unlisted Austin Zemlak have been lost due to graduation, pro contracts, or the transfer portal, seven of those on defense where the Sun Devils struggled mightily last season. Fortunately for as much as the transfer portal takes, it also gives, and head coach Greg Powers has made some moves to replenish those losses.

Ben Muthersbaugh - Forward (Union)

An elite "shoot-first" player, Muthersbaugh's 19 goals for Union last season were second-most among major transfer portal entrants to Austin Burnevik's 20. He led the ECAC in shots with 150 last season, converting on 12.7% of his opportunities. In a game against Dartmouth on February 21st, it was noted that he takes space the moment the ice opens up, and often knows what the next move with the puck is coming off puck battles. His physicality is still developing, but at 6'1" and 194 lbs, his frame gives him the natural ability to fight through checks regularly.

Sam Hillebrandt - Goaltender (Ohio State)

In what's looking to be a crowded goalie room that already features incumbent Samuel Urban and longtime third goalie Chase Hamm, Hillebrandt joins the Sun Devils to fill the void left by graduating senior Connor Hasley. Cool, calm and collected, Hillebrandt was an undrafted free agent when he entered the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts, and played admirably in a backup role, posting a 4-8-0 record with a 3.76 goals against average and .870 save percentage for a defensively challenged Ohio State team. His signature win came on January 10th, stopping 26 of 27 shots in a 2-1 win against Michigan State.

Daniel Shlaine - Forward (Minnesota-Duluth)

It's déjà vu all over again. Another Shlaine will be calling Mullett Arena home, a year removed from his brother Artem's outstanding senior season that helped Arizona State to a second place finish in the NCHC in 2024-25. A strong 200-foot player, Shlaine showed his skill in all areas of the ice, especially in late-game defensive zone chances. Something that was missing and has been found already in Muthersbaugh, Shlaine's powerful shot comes with ability to create space and take advantage of opportunities, tallying 5 G-5 A-10 P while averaging 10:58 per game for the Bulldogs.

Rylan Brown - Defenseman (Michigan Tech)

After earning CCHA All-Rookie honors in the 2024-25 season with 3 G-15 A-18 P, Brown was limited to just 9 games in his sophomore campaign due to season ending injury. A true power play quarterback, Brown was recruited for his vision on the ice and high-octane play in transition. Despite the injury, look for the son of former NHLer Sean Brown to be a top 4 defensive pairing for the Sun Devils in the fall.

Filip Nordberg - Defenseman (Merrimack)

A second round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2022, Nordberg arrived at Merrimack as the highest drafted player in program history. Largely a stay-at-home defenseman, he used his 6'5" frame to his advantage, ranking 4th on the team with 48 blocked shots as a freshman. His raw physical play comes with a price, racking up the second-most penalty minutes for the Warriors (64), while leading the team with two major penalties and game misconducts on the season. A high ceiling player, his size will be an immediate boost to the Arizona State blue line core.

Matthew Mayich - Defenseman (Clarkson)

Chalk another one up for the size team. While not as prolific a shot blocker (28, 6th on the team), Mayich uses his size more for winning puck battles along the boards then freezing attacking skaters before finding teammates in transition. He led all Clarkson freshmen in time on ice (19:47), and showed strong offensive skill for a blueliner with 7 G-8 A-15 P in 34 games. The 2023 6th round pick of the St. Louis Blues will be another solid addition to the power play group for the Sun Devils.

Nic Chin-DeGraves - Forward (Penn State)

Largely a depth forward in his two seasons at Penn State, Chin-DeGraves arrives in Tempe looking to take on a more prominent role. Solid at the faceoff dot (47.6% win rate in 2025-26), Chin-DeGraves made himself known as a defensive first forward, voted the best defensive forward for the Brooks Bandits (British Columbia Hockey League) in 2023-24. He brings big game experience, scoring the only goal for Penn State in their national semifinal loss to Boston University in 2025. Strong hustle play and strong puck battling will be his hallmark here in Tempe.

Olivier Houde - Forward (Lindenwood)

A new announcement mid-writing, Houde originally committed to Bowling Green out of the portal, only flipping to Arizona State on Friday. Excelling in tight spaces, Houde finished second on the team in scoring in his freshman season at Lindenwood (13 G-15 A-28 P), and was named Player of the Month in January for the independent teams. Keen vision on the ice, Houde can make passes through traffic with ease, and is a scoring threat from anywhere in the net front area, something that was decidedly lacking for the Sun Devils last season.

The transfer portal will still be open until April 27th, so don't be surprised to see some additional movement. We can however begin to project lines for the start of next season with minimal assumption on incoming freshmen.

Forwards:

Ben Muthersbaugh - Olivier Houde - Jack Beck
Daniel Shlaine - Sean McGurn - Ben Kevan
Braxton Whitehead - Kyle Smolen - Sam Alfano
Nic Chin-DeGraves - Logan Morrell - Tony Achille

Defensemen:

Filip Nordberg - Richard Baran
Matthew Mayich - Rylan Brown
Lincoln Kuehne - Jonas Woo (incoming)

The full roster won't be announced until as early as next month, but other incoming freshmen who could stake a claim to a roster spot include forwards Landon Hafele, Lukas Sawchyn and Brandon Gorzynski, defensemen Noah Lapointe and Jack Willson, and goaltender Marko Bilic.

Stay tuned for additional portal news and full roster updates as they come, as well as a full schedule breakdown in advance of the start of the new season in early October.

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