Sun Devils set to open the season against Gavin McKenna and Penn State

We've finally come to it at last. It's Sun Devil Hockey week!

After finishing 16th in the Pairwise and barely missing out on the national tournament for the 2024-25 season, Arizona State returns to the ice for the 4th season in the Mullett Arena era. First on the schedule for the season? Penn State and the Gavin McKenna hype train.

McKenna's commitment to Penn State sent shock waves throughout the hockey world. The presumptive No. 1 overall pick for next summer's NHL Draft, his defection from the Western Hockey League to the NCAA has shot the Nittany Lions to the betting favorites to win the national championship this season (+500 according to DraftKings).

His numbers speak for themselves, registering 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points in 56 regular season games for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL last season, adding 9 goals and 29 assists for 38 points in 16 playoff games.

Coming off their first Frozen Four appearance in program history, Guy Gadowsky's team is much more than this freshman phenom. Junior forward Aiden Fink returns as an offensive powerhouse after finishing 4th in the nation in scoring with 53 points (23 G-30 A) last season.

He will be the centerpiece of an offensive core that returns seven players who recorded 20 or more points last season; Charlie Cerrato (15 G-27 A-42 P), JJ Wiebusch (14 G-19 A-33 P), Matt DiMarsico (17 G-15 A-32 P), Reese Laubach (15 G-15 A-30 P), Dane Dowiak (12 G-8 A-20 P), and Ben Schoen (7 G-13 A-20 P)

Defensively, Penn State expects to be without their top returning defenseman Cade Christenson due to injury. Incoming transfer Mac Gadowsky looks to fill that void and provide offensive support from the blue line that the Nittany Lions haven't been known for, coming off 16 G-26 A-42 P for Army last season. Carter Schade and Casey Aman should be their top defensive pairing, with Jarod Crespo and Nick Fascia providing additional depth.

Goaltending is the big question mark for Penn State this season. It doesn't matter if the offense can score 100 goals per game if the goaltender allows 101. Incoming transfer Kevin Reidler (Omaha) looks to be the starting goaltender for the season.

The Sun Devils have experience against him last season, as he backstopped a 4-2 win for the Mavericks in Arizona State's final game of the regular season. His limited play will be of concern as he steps in to the full time starting role, appearing in just 8 games as a freshman and recording a 4-1-0 record with a 3.20 goals against average and .920 save percentage.

Senior John Seifarth is the lone returning goaltender for Penn State, playing in 6 games with a 3-2-0 record, 2.49 GAA and .918 SV% after starting his career with the Lions' ACHA squad. Josh Fleming will provide additional depth as a freshman after three seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (29-20-3, 3.08 GAA, .908 SV% in 2024-25).

Penn State relied heavily on the new CHL eligibility rules for their incoming class. All seven freshmen including McKenna and Fleming hail from one of the three leagues that comprise top-level Canadian juniors. 2024 Calgary Flames draft pick Luke Misa headlines the freshman class after a 259 game career for the Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads where he registered a stat line of 77 G-158 A-235 P.

Jackson Smith (2025 Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick) comes in on defense from the Tri-City Americans to complement Gadowsky with defensive scoring, putting up 11 G-43 A-54 P in 68 games last season. The rest of the freshman class is rounded out by Lev Katzin, Shea Van Olm, and Nolan Collins.

The Sun Devils come in to this season with a high amount of roster turnover, losing four 30 point scorers in Ryan Kirwan, Lukas Sillinger, Artem Shlaine and Noah Beck. Senior co-captain Bennett Schimek is the standard bearer on offense, putting up a line of 15 G-22 A-37 P last season. His fellow co-captain Kyle Smolen reached the 30 point mark as a sophomore, tallying 12 G-18 A-30 P.

All eyes will be on sophomore Cullen Potter this season after becoming the first ever first round pick in program history (Calgary Flames, 32nd overall). He finished his freshman season with a respectable 13 G-9 A-22 P, and has gotten even better over the summer, playing in the U18 World Juniors and the U20 World Junior Summer Showcase. There is no shortage of offensive potential with newcomers Sam Alfano, Ben Kevan, Braxton Whitehead and Jack Beck, just to name a few.

The Sun Devils return a very strong defensive core of Anthony Dowd, Joel Kjellberg, Sam Court and Brasen Boser. Dowd will enter the season in a leadership role after being named one of three alternate captains (more on that below), while Kjellberg, Court and Boser each logged key minutes in excellent freshmen seasons.

Tucker Ness returns for his senior season able to play a dual role as a defenseman or 13th forward, showcasing the depth that the Devils will feature up and down the lineup. New additions Justin Kipkie, Austin Zemlak and Richard Baran give Coach Powers an embarrassment of riches on defense, with the only question being how will everyone get quality minutes on the ice.

For the third straight season, the Sun Devils will have a new starting goaltender on opening night. Gibson Homer has moved on to NCHC foe North Dakota, and Connor Hasley comes to the desert after leading Bentley to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, almost knocking off the No. 1 overall seeded Boston College in the first round.

He will be joined by incoming freshman Samuel Urban and ACHA mainstay Chase Hamm, giving the Sun Devils the deepest goaltending room they've had since moving to Division 1. When asked during NCHC media days about Urban's usage for the upcoming season, Coach Powers was incredibly candid in saying that Urban would log serious minutes in net along with Hasley, looking to ensure his development as the goaltender of the future for the Devils.

Sun Devil Leadership

Last week the Sun Devils finalized their leadership for the season, naming Anthony Dowd, Sean McGurn, and Cruz Lucius as alternate captains under co-captains Bennett Schimek and Kyle Smolen. Dowd receiving a letter is a no brainer, as its useful to have both offensive and defensive position groups represented in the leadership. McGurn brings high quality leadership after wearing the "A" for two seasons and the "C" for one season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Cruz Lucius getting the "A" is a major vote of confidence from the team, coming off an injury shortened 2024-25 that saw him play just 19 games after transferring from Wisconsin.

Joey Daccord Number Retirement

The Sun Devils will retire the first number in program history before Friday's opener, honoring the "Mayor of Mullett" Joey Daccord. While he never played an NCAA game at Mullett, Joey is widely regarded as the cornerstone of Sun Devil Hockey. Selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Joey joined the Sun Devils in the 2016-17 season.

He started all 35 games for the Sun Devils in 2018-19, posting a 21-13-1 record en route to the first NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Now a member of the Seattle Kraken, Joey boasts a career record of 49-50-18 in 126 career games, and made history by recording the first shutout in Winter Classic history in 2024.

Follow along with Devils In Detail all week as the Sun Devils prepare to face off against the Nittany Lions on October 3rd and 4th. Friday's opener will start at 7pm with Saturday's matchup starting at 5pm.