After earning its first NCAA win against Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, Sun Devil hockey received its first non-North American commit in history on Monday in Georgy Gorodetsky, a Russian play-making left winger who will arrive next year.
Congratulations to @bucshockey #13 Georgy Gorodetsky for committing to @SunDevilHockey! #BucsPride
— DesMoines Buccaneers (@bucshockey) October 13, 2015
Gorodetsky is the first non-North American ASU hockey recruit in quite some time, as even the ACHA team did not have one in the latter years before the DI jump.
Gorodetsky played at Shattuck St. Mary's—a hockey factory in Minnesota—for two years before playing with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. Shattuck has produced several players who have gone on to be elite in the NHL, including Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise and Jonathan Toews, just to name a few.
The 6-foot-2, 172-pound left winger's play-making ability was evident by the 145 points he totaled in his two seasons at Shattuck. In Des Moines, he registered seven goals and 27 assists.
It is uncommon for European players to take the college hockey route to the NHL like Americans and Canadians, but Gorodetsky is expected to make an immediate impact when he joins the team next season.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Toscano@asu.edu or follow @justintoscano3 on Twitter
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