As ASU heads into its first season as an NCAA Division I program, the Sun Devils and head coach Greg Powers look to a young, talented roster including both experienced upperclassmen and recently committed freshmen at key positions.
Goaltender
In the 2014-2015 season, then-sophomore goaltender Robert Levin started 33 of 35 games between the pipes for the Sun Devils. He allowed an impressive 1.78 goals per game, boasted a .933 save percentage, and ranked among the top five goalies in the ACHA that year.
Levin enters the 2015 season coming off an ACL tear sustained last February and is set to contend for the starting position with two incoming freshman net-minders.
Other than his experience, Levin stands out among the Sun Devils’ goalie rotation, he’s the only one sporting his glove on his right hand.
Freshman goaltender Ryland Pashovitz hails from Saskatoon in central Saskatchewan, Canada. In the 2013 season alone, Pashovitz claimed Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) honors for best goals allowed average (1.60), best save percentage (.948), and the SJHL rookie of the year award.
The Canadian started in 30 games the previous year for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the U.S. Hockey League.
After announcing his commitment to the Sun Devils via Twitter last January, the 20-year-old Pashovitz expressed his excitement to join the Division I program at ASU, seeking to fulfill his dream of playing college hockey.
Just four months after Pashovitz tweeted his commitment to ASU, another young goaltender took to Twitter to announce his plans to don the maroon and gold.
Freshman goaltender David Jacobson capped off a playoff season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) by committing to join the Sun Devils.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 190 pounds, Jacobson is just barely the largest goalie on the team.
“David is a big, hard-working goalie that will provide us the serious depth you need at the most important position,” Powers said.
Regardless of who starts in the net for ASU during their first game on Oct. 3, the Sun Devils can rest assured that their depth in hockey’s most important position will carry them through a season of formidable offensive Division I opponents.
Defensemen
The Sun Devils defensive pairings will be refreshed for the upcoming season, with only four D-men returning from the previous year.
Senior defenseman Jordan Young, the lone senior on the ASU roster and Arizona native, will add experience to the defensive unit.
“Jordan is a great leader in our dressing room,” Powers said. “(He) has a wealth of experience he can pass on to our young team.”
Upperclassmen defenders junior Drew Newmeyer and junior Connor Schmidt also returned to add experience to the young roster.
Of the five new faces to the Sun Devil defenseman, four are freshman.The fifth is graduate student Brock Krygier who played his previous three years of Division I hockey at Michigan State.
Expect Krygier to become a linchpin for the Sun Devil defensive rotation. The southpaw played in 19 of the final 20 games of the previous season for Michigan State, and his father, Todd Krygier, played professional hockey for the Hartford Whalers, the Washington Capitals, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and suited up for Team USA on three occasions.
Adding to the physicality of the defense, freshman defenseman Jake Clifford and freshman Nicholas Gushue size up the blue line unit at 6-foot-1 inch, 200 pounds and 6-foot-4 inches, 210 pounds, respectively. Coach Powers described both players as big, physical presences that “(the team will) need to compete at the NCAA level.”
Related Links:
ASU hockey roster announced; breaking down the inaugural recruiting class
ASU hockey head coach speaks on team's approach, transition to DI and first-year expectations
Reach the reporter at csafran@asu.edu and follow @ChrisSafran on Twitter.
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