Brandon Gorzynski, the recent draft pick of the Dallas Stars, announced his collegiate commitment on Instagram. Starting in the 2026-27 NCAA season, Gorzynski will continue his development at Arizona State University.
Gorzynski was selected 126th overall by the Stars in the 2025 NHL Draft. Despite being drafted in the fourth round, he was Dallas’ second-highest selection in this summer’s draft, given how much draft capital they’ve traded over the past few years in their competitive window.
The native of Scottsdale, AZ, played for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last year and will return to the team for the 2025-26 season. As one of the youngest players on the roster, he finished sixth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 42 points in 68 games, with a +27 rating. He also produced well in the WHL playoffs, scoring four goals and eight points in 11 postseason contests.
Despite being on a team that has only appeared in the National Tournament once (2019), Gorzynski will join one of the most competitive collegiate conferences in the sport. The Sun Devils have played in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) since the start of last season. It’s home to the two most recent Frozen Four champions, the University of Denver Pioneers and the Western Michigan University Broncos.
In their first season outside of being an independent team, Arizona State finished second in the conference with a 14-9-1-2-5 record in 24 games, finishing 10 points back of the Broncos. In the conference tournament, despite earning an opening game win against the University of Minnesota Duluth, they were dispatched in the next game by the Pioneers.