Will ASU Hockey Make the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26?

It’s such an attainable goal, and yet it’s so hard.

The Arizona State Sun Devils haven’t been hotter than they are now. Even though the season doesn’t start until October, there’s quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Sun Devils.

It all starts with Cullen Potter, the first ever NHL first-round draft pick in Sun Devils history, where he went 32nd overall to the Calgary Flames.

Potter is short in stature but makes up for it with flashy speed, fiery competitive spirit, and willingness to be coached.

The last two aspects of the game are so critical for Potter’s success. His elite speed has already helped him stand out enough to be drafted in the first round — but the way he approaches the game is a whole different animal that separates who is an NHL player and who’s not.

Last season, Potter had a respectable stat line, posting 13 goals and nine assists. But what stood out to his coach, Greg Powers, wasn’t the numbers, it was his overall skillset.

One of the more intriguing parts to this club will be how Samuel Urban does — and if he even starts.

ASU was able to pick up Connor Hasley from Bentley University after a career-best season last year, where he posted a .925 SV% and a 1.96 GAA.

It’ll most likely be Hasley’s last season as a college goaltender, since he turns 25 this season, and this will be his senior year. So perhaps Powers lets Urban watch most of the season from the bench while getting much-needed reps at the collegiate level.

Another interesting person to look out for is Richard Baran, the Slovak defenseman who didn’t get drafted in this year’s draft.

Last season, Baran played in the United States Hockey League with the Des Moines Buccaneers, where he posted a decent four goals and 26 assists — and a -21 rating. However, Des Moines wasn’t very good last season. And when we say they were bad, we mean it.

In the USHL, there are 16 teams total, with 12 making the playoffs. Could you guess where the Buccaneers ended up?

It’ll be Baran’s first season at the collegiate level, and after being snubbed in this season’s draft, you have to imagine that he’ll be looking to prove a whole lot of NHL teams wrong.

It’s expected that Arizona State is going to make a big jump this season, especially since Potter has another year in college under his belt, the Sun Devils have gotten real solid goaltending, and the defense, even outside of Baran, seems strong.

ASU hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2018, with that being its only bid.

Can the Sun Devils make it a second time? Or will they end up being a total disappointment?

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