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ASU Hockey: Sun Devils secure 2 commitments on first day of New Year

The New Year brought in two new recruits, one from the farthest reaches of the continent and other who decommitted from an elite hockey school.

By Justin Emerson
Courtney Pedroza/House of Sparky

2014 was a pretty good year for ASU hockey, and coach Greg Powers was going to make sure 2015 started off with a bang, securing two more recruits on the first day of the new year.

Jan. 1 saw the announcements via Twitter that forwards Matthew Kennedy of the BCHL and Jack Rowe of the USHL will be Sun Devils in 2015.

Kennedy is in his rookie season in the BCHL, scoring 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points in 35 games with the Victoria Grizzlies, the same team that brought Brett Gruber to ASU. Kennedy has also yet to record a penalty minute.

While Canada is a hotbed of hockey talent, Kennedy's hometown is not in the area most would consider. Originally from Mt. Pearl, Newfoundland, Kennedy now becomes the player with the longest road to travel from Tempe, spanning nearly all of North America at over 4,000 miles.

Rowe will also have a current teammate at ASU next year, as his Muskegon Lumberjacks colleague Liam McGing committed to ASU on Christmas Eve. Rowe is currently in his fourth season in the USHL spanning three different teams, and this one might be his finest: He has eight goals and seven assists in 25 games.

Rowe is an intriguing get for the Sun Devils, as he was originally committed to the University of North Dakota, but decommitted because of a worry about playing time, per Chris Dilks, managing editor of SB Nation College Hockey on Twitter. Still, if ASU is nabbing players originally set to go to the upper echelons of college hockey, it means nothing but good things moving forward.

The current recruiting class now sits at seven forwards, two defensemen and no goalies. One of those forwards, transfer David Norris, will be ineligible next season while another, Brett Gruber, is a commitment for the 2016 season.

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