:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66537100/1080001474.jpg.0.jpg)
After bringing in a top-five recruiting class, Arizona State head coach Greg Powers is adding more to his arsenal as the Sun Devils landed former Wisconsin forward Sean Dhooghe on Friday afternoon.
He made the announcement via Twitter, and the former Big Ten product will play out his final year of eligibility in Tempe.
I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to be joining Arizona State University and to be a part of the Sun Devil hockey family for next season #ForksUp @SunDevilHockey pic.twitter.com/HdKXFkkIkZ
— Sean Dhooghe (@sean_dhooghe) March 20, 2020
At 5-foot-3, Dhooghe is one of the more undersized players in college hockey, but that hasn’t affected his play whatsoever.
He was tied for the team lead in points with 26, and he led Wisconsin in goals with 15 during the 2018-19 season as a sophomore.
Last summer, he was out in Glendale taking part in a prospect camp with the Arizona Coyotes. This past season, the winger registered 14 points, and he did not play in the final eight games of the regular season due to a lower body injury.
Thus, he didn’t play in ASU’s matchup against the Badgers at the end of the 2018-19 campaign. Dhooghe’s eligibility for next year is still up in the air at the moment, as the NCAA is still determining whether or not to allow student athletes to transfer once in their career without a penalty.
The verdict is still awaiting next season, but if the measure is approved, then Dhooghe can surely have an immediate impact.
He could possibly play against his former team, too, when the Sun Devils compete in the four-team, Holiday Face-Off Tournament in Milwaukee in December that boasts ASU, Wisconsin, Clarkson, and Connecticut. Matchups have yet to be announced for the field.
ASU has already seen major production from transfers within the program, as both Willie Knierim and James Sanchez ranked top-five in point production in 2019-20 with the Sun Devils after transferring from Miami-Ohio and Michigan, respectively.
Both of those players have another year of eligibility with the program and are likely to return, and it appears that sophomore defenseman Josh Maniscalco is coming back for his junior season after declining a few NHL offers.
Arizona State defenseman Josh Maniscalco is returning for his junior year, per source. Maniscalco finished T-6th nationally in scoring among NCAA defensemen this season with 11-21--32 in 36 games. Had offers from a handful of NHL clubs.
— Greg Cameron (@gregdcam) March 21, 2020
Additionally, forward Chris Grando, who had to sit out the 2019-20 campaign due to transfer rules after coming over from Boston College, is eligible to play starting next year.
That means minus senior defenseman and captain Brinson Pasichnuk, the Sun Devils will have their entire defense core returning along with transfers and a group of returning forwards that features PJ Marrocco, Jordan Sandhu, Demetrios Koumontzis, Johnny Walker, and many others.
In net, the team also brings back starting goaltender Evan DeBrouwer and backup Justin Robbins, along with incoming New Jersey Devils draft pick Cole Brady and a top-five recruiting class.