With new arena complete, Arizona State hockey hopes conference affiliation is next step
Oct. 28—LAS VEGAS — Six years ago, Arizona State applied to join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
In hindsight, Sun Devils coach Greg Powers admits it was a mistake.
"It just wasn't the right time for us," he said, "and it certainly was not for the league, either. We were just starting. We were brand new."
But as his Sun Devils prepare for a showdown against No. 6 UND in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in T-Mobile Arena, Powers says his program is once again looking for conference affiliation — and this time, they're ready.
"It's more of a focal point now than ever," said Powers, whose program rose to the Division-I level in 2015 and has been an independent. "We're ready. We think we're ready competitively to contribute to a really good league. We can provide reciprocal value to any league. Teams and fans can make the trip down to Tempe and have a good experience."
The key piece for Arizona State is its new home, Mullett Arena.
The 5,000-seat venue opened earlier this month and will serve as a home to both the Sun Devils and the NHL's Arizona Coyotes (for at least three seasons).
That solved the biggest hurdle to gaining conference affiliation for the Sun Devils, who previously played at the small and outdated Oceanside Ice Arena.
"The new rink is first class," Powers said. "It's second to none. The campus touches the airport. There are four hotels within walking distance of the arena. Teams come in and they walk to practice, walk to games, walk to restaurants. It's a great trip. I think the more teams come in and experience the trip to Tempe over the course of this year and next, they'll feel really good about us finding some conference affiliation."
The Sun Devils played a provisional Big Ten schedule during the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, but the Big Ten has been reluctant to add affiliate members. The ones it has added — Notre Dame in hockey and Johns Hopkins in lacrosse — have massive academic profiles. Arizona State would not fit that bill.
That leaves the NCHC as the most logical option.
Of the six men's college hockey conferences, the NCHC's geographical footprint is, by far, the closest to Arizona. There is room for growth in the league, but the NCHC has been hesitant to expand.
The league, which is starting its 10th year of operation, has been college hockey's best during that time. It is one of three leagues that has been able to maintain a neutral-site venue for its conference tournament. Its teams have won five of the last six NCAA national championships. And outside of the coronavirus pandemic disruptions, it has been profitable every year.
Many in the league have pointedly asked: Why try to fix what's not broken?
Former NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton was adamant that any expansion would have to add significant value to the league.
Arizona State has always had the big brand name and big market. Now, it can add on-ice success (it qualified for the 2019 NCAA tournament and would have qualified in 2020 if not for the pandemic) and the brand new Mullett Arena to its resume.
Now that the NCHC and other leagues are no longer living day-to-day trying to navigate all the obstacles of the pandemic, the time may be right to consider expansion.
"At the end of the day, we really don't know what else we can do," Powers said. "We've done everything the right way. We got competitive quicker than we thought we would. We qualified for the NCAA tournament. Now, we built a beautiful facility. We think we're ready. We've done what should be required to get into any league and hopefully that will happen."
Who: No. 6 UND vs. Arizona State.
When: 9:07 p.m. Central on Saturday.
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Records: UND 3-2-1, Arizona State 4-4.
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD).
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM).
Stream: NCHChockey.com.
