Arizona Coyotes, Arizona State University in the Same Arena?

Could the Arizona Coyotes and the Arizona State University Sun Devils end up in the same hockey arena when it's all said and done. Sure, looks like it's very much still a possibility. The Sun Devils need a place to call home and the Coyotes aren't happy with their current home. Also, the Sun Devils current arena situation is "one" of the reasons why they don't have a conference to call home.

Mike Sunnucks, Biz Journal -- A potential arena venture involving the Arizona Coyotes hockey team and Arizona State University is still in the works.

That arena could be part of a larger development adjacent to ASU’s main campus in Tempe on the Karsten Golf Course off Rio Salado Parkway just east of Scottsdale/Rural Road.

The Coyotes are also looking at developing a potential new arena on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community land next to Scottsdale.

That includes a site at McClintock and McKellips roads across from the Big Surf water park. That site was previously home to the Scottsdale 6 drive-in theaters.

The National Hockey League franchise could also be considering another Salt River site near the juncture of Loops 101 and 202. That reservation land is off McKellips Road east of the Loop 101.

But very knowledgeable sources tell the Phoenix Business Journal that a Coyotes arena venture with ASU at the Karsten course is still very much in the mix.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

HW: Arizona not an Attracitve Option for Young Players

According to JackVanThomme of the Hockey Wilderness, Arizona State isn't an attractive locale for young hockey players. Really? Apparently, JackVanThomme has never been to Tempe, where they can play golf year round and never have to worry about a snow storm, unless you're visiting  Flagstaff, AZ.

I can also imagine, NCAA Division I teams will probably line up to play a series against them. I know I have had many of conversations with UND fans that want to make the trip to Tempe to see a hockey team.

Certainly, ASU is a team which has, and will continue to struggle. It's not an attractive locale for young hockey players who are typically recruited by NCAA programs. It's too warm for outdoor ice, which would complement a nascent hockey culture by giving fans another way to engage with the sport. There are also few teams in the area, leaving no interstate rivalries, and the idea of a border battle has a very different meaning in Arizona. It's not any aspiring college athlete's dream program, but the students and fans of ASU have done a wonderful job embracing their team.

Currently, while there's only two NHL players (former and current) from the state of Arizona, to suggest that it's not an attractive local is short-sighted. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the five players from Arizona currently on the ASU roster.

2 Drew Newmeyer Jr D 5-11 185 94 Scottsdale, AZ / Indiana Ice (USHL)
4 Edward McGovern So D 5-10 216 93 Scottsdale, AZ / Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
23 Jordan Young Sr D 5-11 175 92 Cave Creek, AZ / Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
68 Anthony Croston Fr F 6-0 190 94 Phoenix, AZ / Rio Grande Killer Bees (NAHL)
94 Cody Gylling Fr F 5-11 185 94 Chandler, AZ / Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)

Currently, there're only two NHL players (former and current) from the state of Arizona, to suggest that it's not an attractive local is short-sighted. Youth hockey programs are springing up in all kinds of non-traditional markets. California is a perfect example of this. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the five players from Arizona currently on the ASU roster.

5 Brock Krygier Jr D 6-0 190 93 Novi, MI /  Previous College: Michigan State (2014-15)
12 Dylan Hollman Jr F 6-1 190 94 Red Deer, AB Previous College: UMass Lowell (2014-15)
14 Jake Montgomery So F 6-2 200 94 Oakdale, MN /Previous College: Omaha (2014-15)
15 Wade Murphy (NSH) Jr F 6-0 190 93 Victoria, BC / Previous College: North Dakota (2014-15)
16 Ryan Belonger Jr F 5-10 175 92 Green Bay, WI / Previous College: Northeastern (2013-14)
21 David Norris Jr F 6-2 205 93 Calgary, AB / Previous College: American International (2014-15)
74 Connor Schmidt Jr D 5-11185 93 New Boston, MI /Previous College: Ferris State (2013-14)
91 Garrett Peterson Sr F 5-11 196 91 Manhattan, IL / Previous College: Notre Dame (2014-15)

ASU Adding Hockey College Hockey, Good or Bad?

I saw the comment above in the Grand Forks Herald chat and I had to include it in my blog post.

First, I think with the announcement that Arizona State University adding hockey is grounds for celebration. Hey, the more the merrier. I don't look at it as gloom and doom. After college hockey blew up a few summers ago with re-alignment many people were predicting that gloom and doom. I don't think that's the case. If you look at the USCHO poll, the top-20 teams are mostly Division II schools and mid majors. Gone from the top-20, traditional powers like Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Think about this, Union College won the NCAA title last year, they're a Division III school. So I don't believe that adding another Big-Five school is going to ruin college hockey.

Jeff Cox, SBNCollegeHockey --- However, college hockey has always been a niche sport in the colder regions of the country. It has thrived with smaller schools playing up and having success such as 2014 NCAA Champion Union College and Minnesota-Duluth in 2011. Little-known schools nationally such as Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, RPI and Bowling Green won national titles in the 80s and 90s. The current No. 1 team in the nation and winner of three national titles, Michigan Tech, is a small school located in the upper peninsula that certainly wouldn't even sniff such success in football or basketball.

When Penn State elevated its successful club program to the NCAA level a few years ago, we saw the dismantlement of the CCHA and the fraction of the WCHA into the Big Ten, NCHC and a revamped WCHA. Depending on which rumor you believe, the Sun Devils seem destined for the NCHC or WCHA, both could be argued as logical choices for the newest member of college hockey's fraternity.

None of this is a knock on Penn State or Arizona State. Both, rightfully so, are entitled to look out for their best interests. No school, big or large, is necessarily tasked with looking out for the interests of any other institution outside of their own. But, college hockey is a small fraternity and one that needs to keep all its members to ensure future success. The small schools with a rich hockey history have been vital to the sport. Going forward it is imperative that College Hockey Inc. and other powers that be in the sport maintain balance in expansion with keeping the glorious history of the sport alive.

Related articles

• ASU to Add Division I Hockey(ndgoon.blogspot.com)

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• The Student Section: Regular Season Episode #6(hockeywilderness.com)

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ASU to Add Division I Hockey

The story of the day -- the announcement that Arizona State University is going to add Division I Hockey. One of the places that ASU could land is the NCHC. As Brad Schlossman mentioned earlier this week, there's been some discussion between the commissioner and ASU.

House of Sparky --- Three years from now in 2017-18 the Sun Devils will join a conference and two stand out as the most likely landing spots. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) has shown interest, as has the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). It is to be determined which one Arizona State chooses.

Of the two, the NCHC would boost Arizona State's profile the most. It would guarantee games against one of the NCAA perennial powerhouses in North Dakota, a school with 20 Frozen Four appearances and seven national titles. Last season North Dakota lost in the Frozen Four to Minnesota.

Geographically the NCHC makes sense as well. Included in it are Colorado College and the University of Denver, the two closest schools to Tempe in either the NCHC or WCHA. The third-closest, Nebraska-Omaha, is also an NCHC school.

The NCHA is the more popular conference as far as fan attendance as well. Last season the most popular WCHA team was Bemidji State with an average of 3,562 fans per game, according to U.S. College Hockey Online. That ranked 22nd in the NCAA.

#ASU promotes men's ice hockey program to NCAA Division I status: http://t.co/pdIRC6hmxj pic.twitter.com/tqyVJeq86n
— Arizona Sports 98.7 (@AZSports) November 18, 2014

Final version: ASU (@TheSunDevils) to launch Division I men's hockey program (18 new scholarships): http://t.co/gQFPAPU3lL via @FOXSPORTSAZ
— Craig Morgan (@cmorganfoxaz) November 19, 2014

Arizona State to sponsor NCAA Division I men's hockey program: ASU will become the ninth col... http://t.co/wSVEgUqrch #NCAAhockey #NCAA
— NCAA Wire (@ncaawire) November 19, 2014

Amway Top 25 Coaches Poll (7/31/14)

1. Florida State Seminoles (56)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Oklahoma Sooners (3)
4. Oregon Ducks (1)
5. Auburn Tigers
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (1)
7. UCLA Bruins
8. Michigan State Spartans
9. South Carolina Gamecocks (1)
10. Baylor Bears
11. Stanford Cardinal
12. Georgia Bulldogs
13. LSU Tigers
14. Wisconsin Badgers
15. USC Trojans
16. Clemson Tigers
17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
18. Arizona State Sun Devils
19. Mississippi Rebels
20. Texas A&M Aggies
21. Kansas St. Wildcats
22. Nebraska Cornhuskers
23. University of North Carolina Tar Heels
24. Texas Longhorns
25. Washington Huskies

Only four Big Ten Teams in the top 25 coaches poll.