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Trio of Sun Devil Hockey skaters selected in 2026 NHL Entry Draft

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Trio of Sun Devil Hockey skaters selected in 2026 NHL Entry DraftTrio of Sun Devil Hockey skaters selected in 2026 NHL Entry Draft
by Danny Sullivan

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Sun Devil Hockey saw three skaters selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft on Saturday at KeyBank Center, marking the second consecutive year the program has had at least three players drafted by NHL organizations.

Sophomore defenseman Lincoln Kuehne was the first Sun Devil to hear his name called, going to the New York Islanders in the fourth round with the 109th overall pick. 



Kuehne, a Fargo, North Dakota, native skated in 28 games as a freshman with the Sun Devils and made his collegiate debut on Oct. 3, 2025 vs. Penn State. He registered his first career collegiate goal and assist vs. Omaha on Feb. 21, 2026.

Before ASU, the defenseman recorded 10 points in 61 games for the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2024-25 and also won a bronze medal with the U.S. U-18 National Team at the U-18 Men’s World Championship in May of 2025.

The incoming freshmen duo of forward Landon Hafele and defenseman Jonas Woo were both selected in the sixth round to round out ASU’s three draft picks. Hafele was taken by the Winnipeg Jets with the 167th overall pick, while Woo went to the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 185th overall selection.


Hafele, originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, is a two-time USNTDP alumni, before finishing his junior career with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) prior to joining the Sun Devils in 2025-26.

In his time with the USNTDP, he competed in four international tournaments, where he was a member of the 2024 U17 Five Nations Tournament gold medal winning squad. Hafele was also a key component to the 2025 U.S. junior select team’s World Junior A Challenge championship winning team and skated in an additional 106 games for both the U-17 and U-18 National Teams.

He spent the final season of his junior career with the Green Bay Gamblers, tallying 42 points (15G, 27A) and was named to the 2026 Chipotle All-American game, a contest that featured the top NHL draft-eligible players from the U.S. Under-18 National Team.


Woo set the Medicine Hat (WHL) single-season franchise record for points by a defenseman with 86 (29G, 57A) in just 56 games across 2025-26. He also finished second league wide among all defenseman in goals (29) and points (86).

The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native earned WHL Second All-Star team honors and was named as the player of the month in December 2025 after recording 11 goals and nine assists over a 12 game span. Woo served as an alternate captain for the Tigers and notched 129 points (40G, 89A) in his two-year tenure.

Prior to his time with Medicine Hat, Woo began his WHL career as a member of the Winnipeg Ice in 2022-23, where the team took home a conference championship. Woo continued his WHL career with the Wenatchee Wild in 2023-24, guiding the team to a playoff berth and totaling 34 points. 

Drafted true Sun Devils
2026
Lincoln Kuehne: New York Islanders, round 4, pick 109

Landon Hafele: Winnipeg Jets, round 6, pick 167
Jonas Woo: Columbus Blue Jackets, round 6, pick 185

2025
Cullen Potter^: Calgary Flames, round 1, pick 32

Ben Kevan: New Jersey Devils, round 2, pick 63
Justin Kipkie^: Minnesota Wild, round 5, pick 141

2021
Josh Doan*: Arizona Coyotes, round 2, pick 37

Ty Murchison*: Philadelphia Flyers, round 5, pick 98

2019
Cole Brady^: New Jersey Devils, round 5, pick 127

2018
Demetrios Koumontzis*: Calgary Flames, round 4, pick 108

Ryan O’Reilly^: Detroit Red Wings, round 4, pick 98

2015
Joey Daccord*: Ottawa Senators, round 7, pick 199


Drafted players who transferred to ASU
2024
Noah Powell*: Philadelphia Flyers, round 5, pick 148


2023
Matthew Mayich: St. Louis Blues, round 6, pick 170 

2022
Filip Nordberg: Ottawa Senators, round 2, pick 64
Cruz Lucius*: Carolina Hurricanes (traded to Pittsburgh Penguins), round 4, pick 124

Cade Littler: Calgary Flames, round 7, pick 219

2020
Artem Shlaine*: New Jersey Devils, round 5, pick 130

Noah Beck*: 2020 St. Louis Blues, round 7, pick 194
Alex Young*: 2020 San Jose Sharks, round 7, pick 196

2019
Robert Mastrosimone*: Detroit Red Wings, round 2, pick 54

2015
Jack Becker*: Boston Bruins, round 4, pick 195

^ Transferred to a different program before graduating
*Graduated/turned pro

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