TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey has officially named its leadership group for the 2026-27 season, with senior forward Kyle Smolen set to serve as the team's captain. Forwards Sean McGurn, Jack Beck, Logan Morrell and Ben Muthersbaugh will serve as alternate captains.
Smolen enters his fourth season with the Sun Devils and will wear the “C” for the second consecutive year. He joins Dylan Hollman (2016-17, 2017-18), Tyler Busch (2018-19, 2019-20), Brinson Pasichnuk (2018-19, 2019-20) and Jacob Wilson (2020-21, 2021-22) as Sun Devils to serve as a captain in multiple seasons. The Crystal Lake, Illinois, native has appeared in 106 career games, totaling 66 points on 26 goals and 40 assists. His 66 career points rank 11th in program history, while his 26 goals are tied for seventh all-time.
The alternate captain group features three returning Sun Devils in McGurn, Beck and Morrell, while Muthersbaugh earns a letter ahead of his first season in Tempe.
McGurn will wear an “A” for the second consecutive season after serving as an alternate captain during his first year with the program in 2025-26. The senior forward appeared in 32 games last season, recording four goals and nine assists for 13 points, including a pair of game-winning goals and a three-assist night against Omaha on Feb. 21, 2026.
Morrell earns a letter for the first time in his Sun Devil career. The Mesa, Arizona, native becomes the fourth Arizona-born player to wear a letter for the Sun Devils, joining fellow Arizona natives Josh Doan (“C”, 2022-23), Demetrios Koumontzis (“A”, 2022-23) and Johnny Walker (“C”, 2020-21). Morrell notched seven goals and nine assists for 16 points across 36 games during his first season in Tempe a season ago.
Beck also earns a letter for the first time as he enters his second season in the Maroon and Gold. The sophomore forward recorded five goals and three assists for eight points in just 10 games during an injury-shortened freshman campaign, with three of his five goals coming on the power play.
Muthersbaugh rounds out the five-man leadership group ahead of his first season with the program. The junior forward arrives in Tempe after two seasons at Union, where he totaled 64 points (32G, 32A) in 72 games. Muthersbaugh tied for the Union team lead with 19 goals and 36 points during the 2025-26 season prior to transferring to Arizona State.
ASU is set to open the 2026-27 season on the road with a two-game series against Lindenwood on Oct. 2-3. Both games will be streamed on FloHockey, with radio broadcasts available locally on FOX Sports 910 Phoenix.
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