TEMPE, Ariz. -- Greg Powers admits he lucked into a recruiting pipeline while Arizona State's hockey program was still playing at the club level. When the Sun Devils launched their Division I program in 2015, Powers wasn't about to mess with a successful formula.
Six players on the Sun Devils roster hail from the western Canadian province of Alberta: senior forward David Norris, redshirt junior forward Dylan Hollman, sophomore forwards Tyler Busch, Steenn Pasichnuk, Riley Simpson, and sophomore defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk.
Powers likes what those six players bring to the table.
"We clearly needed to cast a wide net with how fast we jumped into Division I hockey, but from Day 1, priority No. 1 outside of keeping kids in state that were good enough to play here was western Canada," said Powers, whose staff makes several recruiting trips to Alberta each season. "I love how they approach the game, I love how they handle themselves off the ice, I love how respectful they are. There is a lot of opportunity to have fun at a place like Arizona State where there are palm trees and sunshine, so you need to find kids who hold the game in such high regard and put the game before all that; not necessarily academics but social life.
"When I say western Canada, it's really British Columbia, Saskatoon, Alberta and Manitoba, but we have given a close focus to Alberta. I just love the way those kids play. They play a really hard-nosed, heavy game. They can bring an element of skill, too, but they're hard and they're heavy and they're great team guys. They keep things pretty simple, they play within the system and they're culture builders."
Last season as a freshman, Busch finished tied for third on the team in points with 20 (nine goals). Hollman had five goals and 17 points, Brinson Pasichnuk had seven goals, 14 points and a team-high 63 blocked shots; Simpson had a goal and seven points; before an injury that ended his season, Norris had three goals and 12 points; Steenn Pasichnuk had two goals and seven points despite a mid-season minor injury as well.
There is camaraderie between the Alberta players that exists on several fronts. They skate together in the summer, they room together at ASU and they spend their off-days at movies, cliff jumping at Saguaro Lake or lounging poolside.
"The stereotypical Alberta player is a blue-collar, hard working player who is not afraid to block a shot, take a hit to make a play or mix it up," Hollman said. "All the kids here exhibit that. Each of us, for the most part, has a small-town background; Riley is the only guy who I think has lived in a city (Edmonton) his whole life. We come from humble beginnings so we never really lose track of that. It makes you appreciative of the situation and opportunity you have now, and it makes you work hard for it."
There are multiple options for Canadian hockey players as they chase the dream of playing in the NHL. They can play collegiately in Canada, but it isn't well regarded or well supported like it is in the U.S.
The Canadian Hockey League is the umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior leagues: the Ontario Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. Those leagues are the big draws for top-end Canadian players and they still produce the largest percentage of NHL players, but players are only eligible until they are 20 years old.
NCAA hockey is making major inroads against those leagues, with about a third of the NHL's players having played at American colleges.
"With major junior, it's a real risk if you go that route," Brinson Pasichnuk said. "I know a lot of buddies who got cut their 20-year-old year and now they're back in the [Alberta Junior Hockey League] I played in before I came here. If you're a first-round pick in major juniors, why not? You get to play 70 games, but if you need a chance to develop longer and get an education, too, there's no better place than right here."
Powers is selling that opportunity and more.
"You're always fighting the major junior draw," he said. "You're going head to head, not just with other schools but with whatever Western Hockey League drafted them.
"College Hockey Inc. does a great job of putting on seminars and educating kids up there that are eligible to play major junior on how to preserve their NCAA eligibility. We've proven that we're a legitimate development path to get to the highest level in the world. We tell kids, 'if you go play major junior you're done at 20. If you don't make it by 20 you're probably going to be stuck playing CIS [Canadian Interuniversity Sport] or maybe your career is over, but if you commit to playing college hockey you can go to 22, or if you play Junior A and you age out, you can come in our doors and have a four year-window to develop.
"There are kids who have developed in that four-year window and they become different players getting that development that you do not get in major juniors. I think more and more kids are starting to see the value, and when you factor in the overall life experience and traveling all over the United States to play in incredible facilities, and getting a world-class education to prepare you for life after hockey -- to us it's a no brainer."
There is one more element all of the players interviewed for this story cited when choosing ASU, proving that Powers' program tagline is an effective one.
"I committed to a different school (Ohio State) when I was young and stepped away from it because it wasn't a great a fit any more so I opened up my eligibility," Busch said. "Coach Powers always talks about 'Be The Tradition.' I thought I would have the most playing opportunity here, but to get the opportunity to start a new program was also a big draw. I think all the guys like that idea."
Six players on the Sun Devils roster hail from the western Canadian province of Alberta: senior forward David Norris, redshirt junior forward Dylan Hollman, sophomore forwards Tyler Busch, Steenn Pasichnuk, Riley Simpson, and sophomore defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk.
Powers likes what those six players bring to the table.
"We clearly needed to cast a wide net with how fast we jumped into Division I hockey, but from Day 1, priority No. 1 outside of keeping kids in state that were good enough to play here was western Canada," said Powers, whose staff makes several recruiting trips to Alberta each season. "I love how they approach the game, I love how they handle themselves off the ice, I love how respectful they are. There is a lot of opportunity to have fun at a place like Arizona State where there are palm trees and sunshine, so you need to find kids who hold the game in such high regard and put the game before all that; not necessarily academics but social life.
"When I say western Canada, it's really British Columbia, Saskatoon, Alberta and Manitoba, but we have given a close focus to Alberta. I just love the way those kids play. They play a really hard-nosed, heavy game. They can bring an element of skill, too, but they're hard and they're heavy and they're great team guys. They keep things pretty simple, they play within the system and they're culture builders."
Last season as a freshman, Busch finished tied for third on the team in points with 20 (nine goals). Hollman had five goals and 17 points, Brinson Pasichnuk had seven goals, 14 points and a team-high 63 blocked shots; Simpson had a goal and seven points; before an injury that ended his season, Norris had three goals and 12 points; Steenn Pasichnuk had two goals and seven points despite a mid-season minor injury as well.
There is camaraderie between the Alberta players that exists on several fronts. They skate together in the summer, they room together at ASU and they spend their off-days at movies, cliff jumping at Saguaro Lake or lounging poolside.
"The stereotypical Alberta player is a blue-collar, hard working player who is not afraid to block a shot, take a hit to make a play or mix it up," Hollman said. "All the kids here exhibit that. Each of us, for the most part, has a small-town background; Riley is the only guy who I think has lived in a city (Edmonton) his whole life. We come from humble beginnings so we never really lose track of that. It makes you appreciative of the situation and opportunity you have now, and it makes you work hard for it."
There are multiple options for Canadian hockey players as they chase the dream of playing in the NHL. They can play collegiately in Canada, but it isn't well regarded or well supported like it is in the U.S.
The Canadian Hockey League is the umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior leagues: the Ontario Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. Those leagues are the big draws for top-end Canadian players and they still produce the largest percentage of NHL players, but players are only eligible until they are 20 years old.
NCAA hockey is making major inroads against those leagues, with about a third of the NHL's players having played at American colleges.
"With major junior, it's a real risk if you go that route," Brinson Pasichnuk said. "I know a lot of buddies who got cut their 20-year-old year and now they're back in the [Alberta Junior Hockey League] I played in before I came here. If you're a first-round pick in major juniors, why not? You get to play 70 games, but if you need a chance to develop longer and get an education, too, there's no better place than right here."
Powers is selling that opportunity and more.
"You're always fighting the major junior draw," he said. "You're going head to head, not just with other schools but with whatever Western Hockey League drafted them.
"College Hockey Inc. does a great job of putting on seminars and educating kids up there that are eligible to play major junior on how to preserve their NCAA eligibility. We've proven that we're a legitimate development path to get to the highest level in the world. We tell kids, 'if you go play major junior you're done at 20. If you don't make it by 20 you're probably going to be stuck playing CIS [Canadian Interuniversity Sport] or maybe your career is over, but if you commit to playing college hockey you can go to 22, or if you play Junior A and you age out, you can come in our doors and have a four year-window to develop.
"There are kids who have developed in that four-year window and they become different players getting that development that you do not get in major juniors. I think more and more kids are starting to see the value, and when you factor in the overall life experience and traveling all over the United States to play in incredible facilities, and getting a world-class education to prepare you for life after hockey -- to us it's a no brainer."
There is one more element all of the players interviewed for this story cited when choosing ASU, proving that Powers' program tagline is an effective one.
"I committed to a different school (Ohio State) when I was young and stepped away from it because it wasn't a great a fit any more so I opened up my eligibility," Busch said. "Coach Powers always talks about 'Be The Tradition.' I thought I would have the most playing opportunity here, but to get the opportunity to start a new program was also a big draw. I think all the guys like that idea."