TEMPE, Ariz. -- In their fourth season in the NCAA, Sun Devil Hockey's progress can be seen in far more areas than just their 14-6 record.
Led by head coach Greg Powers, the Sun Devils' 14 wins are tied for the most in the country heading into the Desert Hockey Classic this weekend in the nation's most competitive holiday hockey tournament.
Before the 2017-18 break, the team sat 4-10-4 with a .333 win percentage and ranked in the bottom 20 in most team statistics.
Then-sophomore Brett Gruber led the team with 11 points ahead of fellow sophomore Tyler Busch with 10 points.
Then-freshman Johnny Walker had only four goals with a total of seven points. Through 20 games in 2018-2019, Walker leads the nation with 17 goals -- matching his season-long total from last year -- and a team-leading 23 points.
This season, four of the seven freshmen have recorded double-digit points with defenseman Josh Maniscalco leading the pack with 12, while Jordan Sandhu leads in assists with 10.
Arizona State has been ranked five weeks in a row and is currently #15 in the USCHO.com poll and #13 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
When breaking down other statistical categories year-to-year at this time, the proof is in the pudding.
| 2017-2018 (National Ranking) |
Statistics | 2018-2019 (National Ranking) |
| 4-10-4 | Record | 14-6 (T1 in wins) |
| Unranked | Rank | 15 |
| .333% | Win % | .700% |
| 38/62 | GF/GA | 69/46 |
| -24 (#57) | +/- | +23 (#8) |
| 2.11 (#57) | GF/GP | 3.45 (#11) |
| 3.44 (#51) | GA/GP | 2.30 (#13) |
| 10.4% (#57) | PP% | 19.3% (#23) |
| 82.5% (#24) | PK% | 87% (#8) |