Notes: College hockey debuts in two new arenas

By Jayson Hajdu

A new era begins in both Arizona and Missouri this weekend.

Arizona State will take to the ice for the first time in the brand-new, on-campus Mullet Arena Friday against Colgate, making it the newest rink in NCAA Division I men’s college hockey. With a seating capacity of 5,000 that includes 20 luxury suites, Mullet Arena will also temporarily house the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.

That same night, Lindenwood will play its first Division I home game when the Lions host Air Force at the Centene Ice Center, which also serves as the official training facility of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.

Another new college hockey arena will open in January when Sacred Heart begins play at Martire Family Arena.

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Must Read:

College Hockey News: DeNaples leads veteran group for revitalized Penn State
NewJerseyDevils.com: Andy Greene signs one-day contract to retire as a Devil
NHL.com: Makar raising bar, considered Hart Trophy candidate for Avalanche
The Athletic: How Jake Oettinger spent the summer preparing for a big season with the Stars
The Hockey News: 2023 NHL Draft rankings: An early top 40
USCHO: Discussing the first smattering of college hockey games to open the 2022-23 season

Must Hear:

CHN Insiders Podcast: Featuring Niagara head coach Jason Lammers
College Hockey West: Featuring College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee
Inside Atlantic Hockey: Featuring commissioner Robert DeGregorio
Inside The Rink Live: Recapping Minnesota-Minnesota State split, UND sweep, reporter questions
The CCHA Show Featuring CCHA Rookie of the Week Connor McGrath, St. Thomas head coach Rico Blasi
USCHO Weekend Review DU adds hardware while three conferences show early non-league dominance

Must See:

Ice Time Hockey West: College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee talks all things NCAA hockey

Marquee Matchup?:

NHL teams declared their Opening Night rosters earlier this week and no fewer than 246 former collegiate standouts were among those listed. Forty-two NCAA Division I programs boast at least one alumni on an NHL roster to start the season, led by Michigan’s 21.

Additionally, half of the NHL’s 32 current general managers played college hockey, as did 12 of the league’s current head coaches.

By the end of the 2021-22 season, a record 349 former college players had appeared in the NHL, shattering the previous record of 327 (2018-19). That included 15 who debuted in 2022 following the completion of their NCAA hockey season.

Devon Levi Doing Devon Levi Things:

Northeastern G Devon Levi (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec) tied a program record last Saturday night when he registered his 11th career shutout in a 5-0 win over Vermont. The 2022 Mike Richter Award winner as the nation’s top goaltender, Levi needs one more goose egg to break Chris Rawlings’ school record of 13 shutouts set from 2010-13.

Persson of Interest:

Miami junior G Ludvig Persson (Hindas, Sweden) is off to a torrid start to the season, having captured NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors in each of the first two weeks. Persson owns a sparkling 1.98 GAA and .938 save percentage after four starts while helping lead the RedHawks to non-conference victories over UMass Lowell and Ferris State.

Persson is one of 53 Swedes playing NCAA Division I men’s hockey in 2022-23, the most of any country after the United States and Canada.

Pioneers Nab Another Trophy:

Top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Denver captured its second Ice Breaker Tournament championship last weekend when it skated to wins over Notre Dame and Maine. The 2022 tournament, co-hosted by Air Force, marked the first time with multiple hosts in the event’s history. DU sophomore F Carter Mazur (Jackson, Mich.) was named tourney MVP after collecting three goals and four points in the two games.

Unbe-LEE-vable Start for RPI Forward:

Rensselaer junior forward Jakob Lee (Owen Sound, Ontario) entered the 2022-23 campaign with seven career points – all coming during his junior year – in 40 collegiate games. He nearly matched that total in the Engineers’ season-opening sweep of Mercyhurst last weekend.

Lee racked up two goals and five points in the season opener Friday and added an assist Saturday. The six-point weekend puts Lee in a four-way tie atop the national scoring race with Ohio State’s Travis Treloar (Fredrikstad, Norway) and Northern Michigan duo Andre Ghantous (Glendale, Calif.) and AJ Vanderbeck (Monument, Colo.), each of whom has played in two more games than Lee.

NHL Note of the Week:

Former Miami captain and All-America defenseman Andy Greene (2002-06) announced his retirement Wednesday after a 16-year career in the NHL. The Trenton, Mich., native played in 1,147 NHL games (including 90 playoff contests) with the Devils and Islanders, and he skated in the 2006-07 NHL All-Star Game.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Minnesota freshman F Jimmy Snuggerud (Chaska, Minn.) became the nation’s first player to record a hat trick in 2022-23 when he sniped three times in last Friday’s non-conference win over No. 5 Minnesota State. Snuggerud found the net again the following night and garnered Big Ten Men’s Hockey First Start of the Week honors … First-year Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale earned his first career win last Saturday with a 2-1 road victory at Bowling Green … Sophomore F Frank Ireland (South Easton, Mass.) scored the first Division I goal in Stonehill history in last Saturday’s loss to Long Island.

College Hockey Inc. Resources: