Five Sun Devil Hockey skaters signed professional contracts within the month following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Matthew Kopperud, Tyler Gratton, Brian Chambers, Brandon Tabakin, and Alex Young all signed professional contracts within the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL.
Kopperud will suit up for the AHL Bridgeport Islanders, an affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders and Gratton for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the NHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Chambers and Young head to the ECHL for the Kalamazoo Wings and Adirondack Thunder, respectively. Brandon Tabakin signed with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers in early March. Since then, the organization has disbanded and Tabakin is now an unrestricted free agent.
A true four-year Sun Devil, alternate captain Matthew Kopperud takes his offensive talents to the AHL. Kopperud completed an impressive career in the desert as he tallied 64 goals throughout his four seasons, including 42 on the power play. In his final season at Arizona State, Kopperud inked his name all over the record book. He broke the program records for most power play goals scored in a single season at 17 and most career power play goals at 42. He also holds the No. 4 spot for all-time power-play goal scorer in the NCAA record books. In the 2023-24 season, he notched 23 goals and 13 assists and led the NCAA in power play goals and game-winning goals scored through the regular season.
Although the three graduates only donned the maroon and gold for one year, their time at ASU was nothing short of memorable. Gratton was unanimously voted the team captain in preseason and appeared in all but two games this season, tallying 12 goals and six assists. He also scored the eighth hat trick in program history against Robert Morris on Dec. 17, 2023 - the first of his collegiate career . Tabakin led the country in plus/minus for most of the season and finished tied for fourth at +26. He suited up for 36 games, notching two goals and eight assists. Chambers did not miss one game for the Sun Devils this season. The graduate cetner boasted a faceoff win percentage that ranked 15th in the NCAA at .509, while scoring four goals and 16 assists.
Senior Alex Young heads to the Adirondack Thunder after one season with the Sun Devils. He notched six goals and three assists for a total of nine points in the 2023-24 season and played in all 36 games for ASU.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms currently sit at seventh in the Atlantic Division and boast a 25-24 record. Gratton will return to his home state of Pennsylvania as the team resides in Allentown. Bridgeport sits right behind the Lehigh Valley in the rankings with a 34-30 record. Kalamazoo sits at seventh in the Western Conference with a 32-25 record.
