NCAA: Arizona State to Retire Joey Daccord’s Jersey Number

The Arizona State Sun Devils hockey program announced that they will retire goaltender Joey Daccord’s number 35 during a pregame ceremony on October 3, 2025.

Daccord joined the Sun Devils program in just its second year of existence at the NCAA level in 2016. In split time during his freshman season, he posted an .892 save percentage and a 3-8-1 record. The following year, he won the full-time starting job, appearing in 32 games with an improved .909 save percentage and 8-19-5 record.

In his junior season, Joey Daccord stole the show with an impressive .926 save percentage and a 21-13-1 record. He was named a Second-Team All-American, the first Sun Devil to receive that recognition. Arizona State also qualified to their first (and only) NCAA tournament, where they lost in the first round to Quinnipiac by a score of 2-1. Daccord’s 36 saves were the most by any goaltender in a regulation-length game in the whole tournament.

Following the season, he became the first alumnus of the program to sign an entry-level contract with an NHL team (Ottawa Senators). Three days later, he became the first Sun Devil to play in an NHL game. In the game, he faced 40 shots, the most ever faced by a Senators goaltender making their NHL debut to that point.

Daccord has experienced success in the NHL, most recently as the starting goaltender of the Seattle Kraken. After a stellar 2023-24 campaign, he inked a 5 year, $25 million extension to stay in the Emerald City. His success has paved the way for other Sun Devils, as both Josh Doan and Brinson Pasichnuk have played in the NHL. Still, Daccord’s 126 NHL games lead all alumni from the Arizona State University.

The Number

Dating back to his high school days, Joey Daccord has almost always worn the number 35. The one exception came during his stint with the Ottawa Senators, during which he donned number 34. This change was due to his number 35 being unavailable, as teammate Marcus Hogberg had the number when he arrived.

After Daccord departed Arizona State, the number 35 was worn by goaltender TJ Semptimphelter. TJ had a strong two years in Tempe, tying Daccord’s program record with 8 career shutouts.

The number 35 has been retired by three NHL teams:

• Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Mike Richter (New York Rangers)
• Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators)

It has also been retired by Mercyhurst University for Ryan Zapolski in celebration of his selection to the 2018 United States Olympic Team.

The Ceremony

The number retirement ceremony and banner unveiling is scheduled for 6:50pm MST on Friday, October 3, 2025 prior to the Sun Devils’ season opener against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Seats are highly sought for the event, as it will also be the NCAA debut of top draft prospect Gavin McKenna. The Yukon native — who tops nearly every 2026 draft board — headlined a wave of CHL talent that committed to playing college hockey after the NCAA revoked a ban on Canadian junior players from making the move to the American circuit. Between the hype around the soon-to-be NHLer and the ceremony for Daccord, ticket prices have ballooned to nearly $400.

The on-ice product may justify the cost, as both teams have NCAA tournament aspirations. In the USCHO preseason poll rankings, the Nittany Lions were ranked #5, while the Sun Devils landed in the #14 spot.

The game will be broadcast on NCHC.tv.