Arizona State is new to the college hockey scene by comparison to their NCHC rivals, but is on an upward trajectory to competing for years to come.
That future was solidified with the announcement of a donation from Mike and Nancy Friend that comes with a 5-year contract extension for head coach Greg Powers, keeping him behind the bench through 2030.
BREAKING: @SunDevilHockey coach Greg Powers has sign an endowed, 5-year contract extension through 2030.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) November 21, 2025
In 10 seasons in D1, Powers played a major role in getting Mullett Arena built, getting ASU into the NCHC, & and luring major recruits to the desert.https://t.co/UrgiWTYfR6
Powers' current contract was good through the 2026-27 season, but this contract comes with new financial resources directed for hockey only. Terms of the endowment and new contract have not been revealed at this time, but this creates stability for the Sun Devils as they advance through their early years of the NCHC.
Powers has been the only head coach the Sun Devils have known since moving up to Division I for the 2015-16 season, serving as head coach of the ACHA team since the 2010-11 season after playing for the program himself as a goaltender from 1995-99. In just the program's 4th season, Powers led the Sun Devils to the 2019 NCAA tournament as the first independent team to make the field since Alaska-Anchorage in 1992, and had a second appearance canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Last season in their NCHC debut, Powers led the Sun Devils to a second place finish in the regular season and an appearance in the Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, losing to Denver in the semifinals.