ASU hockey signed offseason acquisitions after a disappointing end to the season that saw the Sun Devils narrowly miss the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Greg Powers lost six players to the transfer portal before picking up 11 new players to fill their spots.
Departures
Former junior goalie T.J. Semptimphelter to North Dakota
Semptimphelter played 29 games for ASU during the 2023-24 season and won over half of ASU's games while recording a .908 save percentage. His departure forced ASU to find a new man in goal to keep them competitive.
Former junior forward Jackson Niedermayer to Bowling Green
Jackson Niedermayer, son of NHL Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup winner Scott Niedermayer, wore maroon and gold for the past three seasons, including one with his brother Josh Niedermayer. Last season, Jackson Niedermayer scored 9 goals and 14 points across 33 games to end his junior campaign.
Former junior defenseman Cade Alami to Minnesota State
Alami transferred to the lesser-known Minnesota State for his senior season, not to be confused with the coveted Minnesota hockey program. Alami only played one season with the Sun Devils and recorded two assists.
Former freshman forward Matthew Romer to Northern Michigan
Romer transferred to Northern Michigan after playing his freshman season at ASU. He only played seven games as a Sun Devil and did not record a point.
Former senior forward Ryan O'Reilly to Providence
O'Reilly played four seasons as a Sun Devil but left for Providence. O'Reilly scored a total of 55 points throughout his career at Arizona State. He will be back in Mullett Arena this season to face his former team as a Friar, not a Sun Devil.
Former senior defenseman Tim Lovell to Michigan
ASU's all-star defenseman transferred to Michigan for his fifth NCAA season. Lovell started his college career at Boston College before transferring to ASU for three seasons. He was tied for fifth nationally in defensive scoring in the 2023-24 season and ended the season with 37 points.
Arrivals
Graduate defenseman Noah Beck from Clarkson
Beck is a dynamic defenseman who was Clarkson's top point scorer a year ago with six goals and 23 points. Beck has an opportunity to replace Lovell in the top defensive pairing.
Graduate forward Artem Shlaine from Northern Michigan
Shlaine is a Russian forward and former captain at Northern Michigan. He spent the last two years with NMU and the two before with Connecticut. Shlaine still was second at NMU in points with 23 despite having his season cut short by an injury.
Junior forward Bennett Schimek from Providence
Schimek was an instant talent during his first year at Providence, where he was second in goals with 11. He decided to move out west for his junior season after a slight dip in production his sophomore season.
Senior goalie Luke Pavicich from UMass-Lowell
Pavicich played two seasons at UMass and last year at UMass-Lowell. He started under half of all games his junior season while boasting a .885 save percentage. Pavicich, although not putting up the same numbers as ASU's previous star goaltender, could provide support as a second-string goalie.
Junior forward Cruz Lucius from Wisconsin
Lucius, who played two seasons at Wisconsin, averaged almost a point per game in his sophomore year. Last season, he totaled 13 goals and 34 points in 36 games.
Senior forward Ryan Kirwan from Penn State
Kirwan is a power forward from Penn State who tallied 26 points in 36 games during his junior season. Kirwan is nothing but consistent after playing every game during his freshman and junior seasons while scoring 13 goals in both seasons.
Freshman defenseman Brasen Boser
Boser is a skilled defenseman who scored 37 points in his last 61 games in the USHL and won the Clark Cup before coming to ASU.
Freshman forward Cullen Potter
Potter is a highly skilled yet undersized top prospect in the 2025 NHL draft. He scored nine goals and 22 points in the United States National Development Program's U17 team last season, making the young player a valuable asset for the future of Sun Devil Hockey.
Freshman defenseman Sam Court
Court is another skilled defenseman who excelled in junior hockey. He recorded 13 goals and 72 points in the AJHL in 2021 as an 18-year-old. Elite NHL defensemen like Cale Makar put up similar numbers in the program before dominating the NCAA. Court could compete for a top defensive pairing among senior and graduate students.
Freshman defenseman Joel Kjellberg
Kjellberg is a Swedish defenseman who put up decent numbers in Swedish minor hockey and American junior hockey. He scored 11 goals and 37 points in 59 games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last year and 11 points in 24 games in the U20 Swedish National League in 2021-22.
Freshman goalie Zakari Brice
Brice played in the NAHL, a top junior hockey league in which he maintained at or above a .900 save percentage in his two-year career. Brice should be competing for a spot in goalie rotation if he can transition into the NCAA.
Correction: A previous version of the caption stated that Oceanside Ice Arena was renamed Mullet Arena. This has been corrected as of 5:14 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2024.
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at Gbarberi@asu.edu and follow @Giobarberio1 on X.
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Giovanni is a sophomore studying history. This is his second semester with The State Press.
