MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Sun Devil Hockey drops the puck on the 2026-27 season with a two-game road series against Lindenwood on Oct. 2-3 at Centene Community Ice Center. The weekend marks the first meeting between the programs since the 2023-24 season.
ASU enters the year with a revamped roster featuring 17 newcomers, including seven freshmen, while seven NHL Draft picks are represented on the 2026-27 roster. The opening series also marks the first time the Sun Devils have started a season on the road since 2024-25 at Air Force.
Schedule
Friday, Oct. 2, 2026
Arizona State at Lindenwood – 5 p.m. MST / 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
Arizona State at Lindenwood – 3 p.m. MST / 5 p.m. CT
Where to watch
Fans can tune into both games this weekend on FloHockey via subscription. Tyler Paley and Alex Coil return to the local airwaves and will have the radio call on Fox Sports 910 AM.
Opponent outlook
Lindenwood enters 2026-27 for its fifth season at the NCAA Division I level. The Lions remain independent and welcome the Sun Devils to the Centene Community Ice Center for the first meeting between the programs in nearly three years.
HISTORY VS. LINDENWOOD
Arizona State owns a 3-0-1 all-time record against Lindenwood. The programs first met during the Lions' inaugural Division I season in 2022-23, when ASU earned a win and a tie in Tempe before sweeping a two-game series later that season. The Sun Devils tied a program record with eight goals in an 8-2 victory on Feb. 17, 2023. The most recent meeting came on Feb. 3, 2024, when Arizona State earned a 5-1 victory over the Lions.
Quick hits
- ASU has won four of its last five season openers entering 2026-27 and owns a 5-6-0 record in NCAA season openers overall.
-The Sun Devils are unbeaten in four all-time meetings with Lindenwood at 3-0-1, outscoring the Lions 21-9 and scoring at least five goals in each victory.
-ASU tied a program record with eight goals against Lindenwood on Feb. 17, 2023, while its season-opening night record of eight goals came at Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024.
- The Sun Devils' last opening-weekend sweep came Oct. 13-14, 2023 against Merrimack in Tempe, while ASU enters the weekend seeking its first opening-weekend road sweep in NCAA program history.
- A new-look Sun Devil roster features 17 newcomers, including seven freshmen, with seven NHL Draft picks represented on the 2026-27 roster.
- Sophomore forward Olivier Houde is projected to make his Sun Devil debut against his former team after recording 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 30 games with Lindenwood last season.
Leading the way
Arizona State named its 2026-27 leadership group, as Kyle Smolen is set to serve as the Sun Devils’ captain for the second consecutive season. 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 alternate captain group features three returning Sun Devils in Sean McGurn, Jack Beck and Logan Morrell, while Ben 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 in 2025-26, when he recorded 13 points (4G, 9A) in 32 games.
Morrell earns a letter for the first time after tallying 16 points (7G, 9A) in 36 games last season and becomes the fourth Arizona-born player to wear a letter for the Sun Devils, joining Josh Doan, Demetrios Koumontzis and Johnny Walker.
Beck also earns a letter for the first time after posting eight points (5G, 3A) 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 leadership group ahead of his first season at Arizona State after totaling 64 points (32G, 32A) in 72 games across two seasons at Union, including a team-leading 19 goals and 36 points in 2025-26.
WHL Pipeline
Arizona State welcomes a trio of freshmen who each surpassed the 80-point mark during the 2025-26 WHL season in Jonas Woo, Lukas Sawchyn and Nathan Behm. Sawchyn led the group with 88 points (27G, 61A) for Edmonton, while Woo (29G, 57A) and Behm (38G, 48A) each finished with 86.
The trio combined for 260 points on 94 goals and 166 assists during the regular season. All three ranked among the WHL's top 11 scorers despite Woo playing defense and appearing in only 56 games.
Behm finished 10th in WHL scoring while recording career highs in goals, assists and points. He surpassed the 30-goal mark for the second consecutive season after scoring 31 times in 2024-25.The Chicago Blackhawks third-round pick finished his Kamloops career with 184 points (81G, 103A) in 200 regular-season games.
MuthersDAWG
Ben Muthersbaugh arrives in Tempe following a pair of productive seasons at Union, tallying 64 points on 32 goals and 32 assists in 72 career games with the program.The forward led Union with 19 goals and 36 points in 2025-26, with his 19 tallies tying for fifth among ECAC Hockey skaters and his 36 points tying for sixth.
Muthersbaugh fired a team-leading 150 shots on goal, averaging an eye-popping 4.17 shots per game, and recorded at least one point in 22 of 36 appearances in 2025-26.He never went more than two consecutive games without a point during his sophomore campaign.
As a freshman, Muthersbaugh became Union's first rookie since 2010 to record a hat trick and the program's first player since 2016 to tally five points in a game, accomplishing both with three goals and two assists against Mercyhurst.He was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team following a 28-point freshman campaign.
Proven production
The Sun Devils brought in proven NCAA production to Tempe through transfers Ben Muthersbaugh, Olivier Houde and Cade Littler. The trio combined for 37 goals and 77 points in 101 games during the 2025-26 season and enters the year with 170 combined games of NCAA experience.
Muthersbaugh led Union with 19 goals and 36 points in 36 games, Houde finished second at Lindenwood with 28 points (13G, 15A) in 30 games and Littler recorded 13 points (5G, 8A) in 35 games for North Dakota. Muthersbaugh's 19 goals tied for fifth among ECAC Hockey skaters last season, while his 36 points tied for sixth.
Houde led all D-I Independent freshmen with 28 points and posted a team-best +14 rating during his first collegiate season.
Been there before
Arizona State added recent Frozen Four experience to its roster through transfers Cade Littler and Nic Chin-DeGraves. Chin-DeGraves helped Penn State reach the 2025 Frozen Four, scoring the Nittany Lions' lone goal in their national semifinal matchup against Boston University.
One year later, Littler helped North Dakota advance to the 2026 Frozen Four. Littler arrives in Tempe with 68 games of NCAA experience across two seasons at North Dakota, recording 22 points (12G, 10A) and a +11 rating. The Calgary Flames draft pick increased his production as a sophomore with 13 points (5G, 8A) in 35 appearances.
From the coast to the valley
Jack O'Brien joins the Sun Devils following a breakout 2025-26 campaign in the ECHL, recording 51 points on 28 goals and 23 assists in 62 games between the Iowa Heartlanders and Atlanta Gladiators. O'Brien's 28 goals marked a career high and quadrupled his total of seven from the previous season.
After joining Atlanta, the forward tallied 29 points (17G, 12A) in 37 regular-season games while posting a +7 rating. He continued his production into the postseason, adding six points on three goals and three assists in six Kelly Cup Playoff appearances. O'Brien turned in a career night against Cincinnati on Nov. 8, 2025, scoring four goals and finishing with five points for Iowa.
Prior to his time in the ECHL, O'Brien recorded 194 points (63G, 131A) in 255 regular-season games with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks.
O'Brien is eligible to compete for ASU and was granted two seasons of eligibility following recent NCAA eligibility changes allowing student-athletes who previously competed in major junior hockey to retain NCAA eligibility. His prior ECHL participation does not prevent him from competing collegiately because his professional participation falls within the NCAA's updated eligibility framework.
Houdini
Sophomore forward Olivier Houde arrives in Tempe following a standout freshman season at Lindenwood, finishing second on the team with 28 points (13G, 15A) in 30 games while posting a team-best +14 rating. Houde recorded eight multi-point performances and was named Division I Independent Player of the Month after tallying 11 points (5G, 6A) in January. His first collegiate goal came in a 4-3 victory over No. 5 Denver.
Prior to his NCAA career, Houde established himself as a consistent offensive threat in the QMJHL. He capped his major junior career with Victoriaville in 2024-25, producing 56 points (28G, 28A) in 58 games and averaging 0.97 points per game after previously developing into a 60-point scorer with Cape Breton.
Houde's production carried almost seamlessly into college hockey, going from 0.97 points per game in his final QMJHL season to 0.93 as a freshman at Lindenwood. Across his last two seasons between Victoriaville and Lindenwood, Houde has combined for 84 points (41G, 43A) in 88 games, including 41 goals.
Door to door Sun Devil
Kyle Smolen enters his senior season as one of the most experienced Sun Devils on the roster and already firmly established in the program record book. Through three seasons in Tempe, Smolen has totaled 66 points on 26 goals and 40 assists in 106 games, placing him 11th in program history in career points and just one point shy of cracking the all-time top 10. His 26 goals are tied for seventh in program history, while his eight power-play goals are tied for fifth.
Smolen has also been a consistent presence in the faceoff circle, entering the year with 521 career faceoff wins, fourth-most in Sun Devil history. As a freshman in 2023-24, he won 52.4% of his draws, a mark that remains among the best single-season percentages in program history.
The Crystal Lake, Illinois, native has continued to climb the record book throughout his career, posting a career-best 30 points (12G, 18A) in 2024-25 and finishing that season at +12, tied for the sixth-best single-season plus/minus in program history. He also put together six- and five-game point streaks during the campaign. With another season ahead, Smolen enters the year within striking distance of several milestones, needing one point to move into ASU's career top 10, two goals to reach a tie for third in career goals and two power-play goals to tie Josh Doan for fourth in program history.
At the dot
Logan Morrell and Sean McGurn give Arizona State a proven one-two punch in the faceoff circle after combining to win 592 draws on 1,080 attempts (54.8%) during the 2025-26 season.
Morrell led the way with a 369-278 record at the dot, with his 369 faceoff wins ranking second in a single season in Sun Devil history, just 15 shy of Brian Chambers' program record of 384.
Morrell won 57.0% of his 647 draws, the second-highest single-season percentage in program history among Sun Devils with at least 150 wins.
McGurn added a 223-210 record of his own, winning 51.5% of 433 faceoffs despite appearing in only 32 games. Together, the duo accounted for more than 1,000 draws while winning nearly 55% of their opportunities.
The duo's success helped anchor an Arizona State team that ranked 14th nationally in faceoff percentage at 52.8% in late January. Both also landed in the Sun Devil record book in their first season together, with Morrell owning the program's No. 2 single-season marks in both faceoff wins and faceoff percentage, while McGurn's 51.5% also ranks among ASU's top 10 single-season marks.
Family ties
Daniel Shlaine becomes the second member of his family to wear the Maroon and Gold, following older brother Artem Shlaine's standout 2024-25 season in Tempe. Daniel arrives after recording 10 points (5G, 5A) as a freshman at Minnesota Duluth, but brings an extensive scoring résumé from before college. He tallied 57 points (24G, 33A) in 61 games with the USHL's Lincoln Stars in 2024-25, finishing second on the team in scoring, after posting back-to-back 70-point seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's.
Across his final three seasons before entering the NCAA, Daniel amassed 203 points, including 72 (22G, 50A) in 2022-23, 74 (20G, 54A) in 2023-24 and 57 with Lincoln in 2024-25. His final junior campaign included a hat trick, USHL Forward of the Week honors and a USHL-best 14-game home point streak spanning Nov. 9 through Feb. 14.
Artem set a high bar during his lone season at Arizona State, exploding for 38 points (17G, 21A) in just 31 games while earning AHCA All-America and First-Team All-NCHC honors. He finished his collegiate career with 119 points before turning pro and producing 38 points (19G, 19A) with the Texas Stars in 2025-26. Artem signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Dallas Stars in July 2026, as Daniel prepares to begin his own chapter in Tempe.
Between the pipes
Arizona State enters the season with a sophomore goaltending tandem of Samuel Urban and Ohio State transfer Sam Hillebrandt, giving the Sun Devils two netminders who gained significant NCAA experience as freshmen. Urban appeared in 16 games with 15 starts for ASU, totaling 461 saves with a .904 save percentage. He recorded his first collegiate shutout with 37 saves in a 1-0 victory over Miami before setting a career high with 40 saves against No. 4 North Dakota two weeks later — just the fourth 40-save performance by a goaltender in program history. Urban's 461 saves also rank ninth on ASU's single-season list.
Urban also made his presence felt on the scoresheet, recording two assists to tie Joey Daccord's ASU single-season record for assists by a goaltender. He picked up his first in his NCAA debut against Notre Dame, when he stopped 36 shots at a .947 clip, before adding another against Alaska Anchorage. Through just one season, Urban already ranks third among Sun Devil goaltenders in career assists and points.
Hillebrandt joins the room after appearing in 14 games with 11 starts at Ohio State, finishing his freshman campaign with four victories and earning two Big Ten Star of the Week honors. His first collegiate win came behind a 26-save performance in a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Michigan State, earning Big Ten Third Star honors. Hillebrandt later backstopped the Buckeyes to a road sweep of Minnesota, stopping 47 of 50 shots (.940) across the weekend to earn Big Ten First Star of the Week. He is already familiar with Mullett Arena, as his career-high 38 saves came against ASU on Nov. 29, 2025. Before college, Hillebrandt appeared in 76 OHL games with Barrie and was a member of Team USA's back-to-back gold-medal teams at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Homegrown Devils
For Mesa native Logan Morrell and Scottsdale native Teddy Merrill, playing for Arizona State represents a return to the program they grew up watching. Both families held Sun Devil Hockey season tickets during the program's days at Oceanside Ice Arena, giving the two Valley products an early connection to ASU long before either put on a Sun Devil sweater. Morrell grew up attending games at Oceanside before developing with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and eventually beginning his collegiate career at Michigan Tech.
Merrill's connection to Arizona State extends beyond the rink. His late father, Scott Merrill, played baseball for the Sun Devils and was a member of ASU's 1977 College World Series championship team before being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Teddy grew up attending Sun Devil Hockey games with his family at Oceanside and developed locally with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes before eventually spending three seasons with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. He captained Dubuque in 2025-26 while producing 60 points (30G, 30A) in 60 games.
Merrill concluded his three-year USHL career with 99 points (43G, 56A) and earned the league's Curt Hammer Award following his final season, recognizing outstanding performance, pride and determination on and off the ice. Now, Merrill and Morrell return to the Valley to represent the same Sun Devil Hockey program their families once watched together at Oceanside.
USHL standouts
Arizona State welcomes three freshmen coming off standout seasons in the USHL in Michael Barron, Teddy Merrill and Jack Willson, who combined for 175 points in 179 games during the 2025-26 regular season. Barron led the group with 68 points (18G, 50A) in 62 games for Dubuque, while Merrill added 60 points (30G, 30A) in 60 games and Willson produced 47 points (12G, 35A) in 57 games from the blue line for Youngstown.
Barron and Merrill formed a one-two punch for Dubuque, finishing first and second on the Fighting Saints in scoring while playing under former Sun Devil defenseman Jacob Semik, who served as an assistant coach for Dubuque. Semik played 134 games across four seasons at Arizona State from 2019-23 and served as an alternate captain during his final two campaigns before eventually returning to his former USHL club as a coach. Merrill captained the Fighting Saints in 2025-26 while Barron served as an alternate captain, with the duo combining for 128 points during their final season together.
Willson supplied similar firepower from the blue line, finishing second among USHL defensemen with 47 points and earning USHL Defenseman of the Year honors. His 47 points surpassed his production from his previous three USHL seasons combined, while 27 came on the power play. Together, Barron, Merrill and Willson arrive in Tempe after producing at least 47 points apiece, with Barron and Merrill reaching the 60-point mark and Willson establishing himself as one of the USHL's premier offensive defensemen.
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