Arizona State hockey coaches Greg Powers and Alex Hicks were in a lounge at Sky Harbor International Airport in early November, heading on a road trip to Colorado College when they bumped into Tyson Nash and his wife, Kathy.

With his Canadian Hockey League (CHL) eligibility exhausted, Ty Nash — Tyson and Kathy's son — was extending his hockey career by playing U Sports for the University of Alberta. All the while, he was hoping the rumors were true that the NCAA was going to rescind a longstanding rule that prohibited CHL players from playing NCAA hockey — a rule that Tyson has railed against for years.

Ty had already seen Braxton Whitehead, a forward for the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats, verbally commit to ASU two months earlier, expressing confidence that the rule was about to change. By the time Powers saw the Nashes in that airport lounge, the news was imminent.

"It was totally random that we ran into them — or maybe it was fate — but I told them, 'Hey, this rule is probably going to pass within the next couple of days,'" Powers said.

Powers was right. The NCAA approved the change on Nov. 7, making CHL players eligible to join NCAA Division I teams starting with the 2025-26 season. Powers called Ty Nash a couple weeks after the rule went into effect and Nash had to hide his unbridled excitement.

"I was still in the middle of the season with the University of Alberta so you have to respect your team," Ty Nash said. "I just wanted to finish the year out there and play hard for my teammates and my coaches. But once the year was over, it was a decision that was made pretty quickly."

On April 21, ASU made the news public.

Ty will become the 10th son of an NHL alumnus to play for the Sun Devils when he suits up this fall.

The others: 
(2015-18): Son of Peter Lappin (Minnesota North Stars, San José Sharks, 1989-92)
(2016-19): Son of Craig Simpson (Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, 1985-95)
(2017-20): Son of Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins, 1984-97, 2000-06)
(2021-24): Son of Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks 1991-2010)
(2021-23): Son of Shane Doan (Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, 1995-2017)
(2022-25): Son of Mike Sillinger (12 teams including the Coyotes, 1990-2009)
(2023-present): Son of Jim Dowd (10 teams, 1991-2008)
(2023-24): Son of Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey, Anaheim, 1991-2010)
(2024-present): Son of Patric Kjellberg (Nashville Predators and Anaheim, 1998-2003).

"I tell every local kid, 'If you're good enough to help us win a national championship, we want you to play here,'" Powers said. "'If you're a local kid and you think that you're entitled to play here just because you're local, you're not gonna play here. 

"Ty's not entitled. He fits who we are. He's an energy guy. He plays hard, he can add a little sandpaper and hard skill. He's like a more skilled version of his dad."

That last statement is no slight on Tyson, who played seven NHL seasons (1998-2006) for the Blues and Coyotes, becoming a fan favorite in both cities because of his all-in approach to the game.

"I wish I had his hands and his speed," Tyson said of his son. "I think Greg has done his homework and his research on what kind of player Ty is. 

"It's pretty simple. Ty is going to play as much as Ty performs and produces. That's the transparency of Greg and his program. He doesn't care who you are. He doesn't care where you come from. If you're going to help him win and help his team and his program, you're going to play and you're going to get the ice time."

Ty first toured Arizona State when he was 15. At that time, the Sun Devils were still playing out of decrepit Oceanside Ice Arena (since demolished). There were no plans for Mullett Arena, and there were no plans to join a conference because no conference wanted the Sun Devils until they built a suitable arena.

"I remember Powers showing me around but he kind of avoided the rink aspect of everything," Ty Nash said, laughing. "I got to see what ASU was all about and I figured it was only a matter of time before they started to find a lot of success, coming from club hockey all the way up to one of the top NCAA programs. It was definitely something I wanted to be a part of."

Unfortunately for Ty, his participation in the United State Hockey League Combine did not lead to any offers to play for USHL teams, which often feed NCAA programs. Meanwhile, the Lethbridge Hurricanes had shown a lot of interest, exemplified by the team's willingness to select him in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

"Lethbridge came all the way down to Arizona and we had dinner, so it just kind of showed me how much they really cared about me," Ty said. "I felt respected and then I went to camp the next year and I felt that same energy from them. So honestly, at that point, it was a really easy decision to make for me."

The WHL route didn't bother Tyson. He had gone the same route in the early 1990s, playing for the Kamloops Blazers alongside eventual lifelong friend, Shane Doan. 

"I would have been an absolute hypocrite if I said, 'You're not going to do it; it's not the place for you,'" Tyson Nash said. "We basically left it up to him and said, 'Ty, if you make the Lethbridge Hurricanes as a 16-year-old, you can play.

"I definitely worried that it was premature and he wasn't ready, but more than that, it was ridiculous that he had to make this life-defining decision at 15. A 15-year-old shouldn't have to say, 'I want to choose the NCAA or I want to choose the CHL. A lot of kids had to make that decision at a young age when they're not even fully developed, mentally, emotionally or physically. You don't know what kind of player you're going to be. You don't know how long your runway needs to be."

In Tyson's mind, the focus of the CHL, the USHL and the NCAA should all align: What's best for the kids and their development. 

"In the past, if you were a CHL player and you weren't drafted or signed, it basically ended your career because you're playing in U Sports and they don't fund it," Tyson Nash said. "There are some good U Sports teams and players, but it's not the NCAA and I can say that because I've experienced it. I know the difference.

"Now with this rule change, every league, whether you're the USHL, the CHL, the NCAA or U Sports in Canada, you have to be accountable. You'll have to put money into your program to make it better because everything else is getting better around you. That's the beauty, for me, is ultimately giving the kids the best opportunity to be the best player that they can be."

There were times when the Nashes worried that wasn't going to happen for Ty — even in the WHL. After playing 59 games his first season in Lethbridge before Covid ended the season, Ty played just 24 in the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season. During his WHL tenure — he also played for Winnipeg and Edmonton — there were a lot of empty buildings due to the global pandemic.

"I started slow that first year but toward the end I started to find my game so it was tough to have it end, and then that second year, it's hard to do anything in 24 games so I would say it had an impact on my development," Ty said. "By the time my junior career was over, I was definitely scrambling around to figure out where to go.

"I did love my time at the University of Alberta and the hockey is still really good hockey, but it was definitely hard to kind of think about life after junior. I heard rumblings about maybe something changing, especially with all these college athletes getting paid and NIL and everything so I decided to stay at the University of Alberta and not sign an East Coast contract or something just in case. I'm so glad it worked out."

During one of the Utah Hockey Club's last days of the season, Sun Devil alumnus and Utah forward Josh Doan approached Tyson and made him a promise that was both heartwarming and mind-boggling to Nash.

"He said, 'Hey, I just want you to know that I'm going to connect with Ty and I'm going to bring him out to skate and train with me,'" Tyson said. "'Auston Matthews will be there. Matty Knies will be there. We'll make sure we get him up to speed.'

"I'm like, 'How freaking cool is that? I've known Josh since he was a little baby running around, and now he's in the NHL, making sure my kid gets the proper training. Josh used to be the captain at ASU and he's still leading. He's still taking charge and wanting the best for the program, which I thought was so cool, but also, it's such a Doan thing to do, right?"

Powers expects Nash to play up and down the lineup. While NHL pedigree doesn't guarantee Nash's success, Powers thinks it helps. 

"Those kids generally have a little bit of moxie to them from growing up in the game," he said, "but this goes beyond Tyson's NHL pedigree. It's his affinity for hockey in Arizona. He's one of the faces of the sport here. He was a fan favorite for the Coyotes and he turned into a fan favorite as a TV personality. Having their family back as a big part of Arizona hockey, and at the forefront of our program? I think it's going to be awesome for the fans." 

Ty arrived back in Arizona a couple weeks ago. He has already been on campus. He has already skated with his future teammates and he has already connected with the aforementioned cast of Arizona products turned NHL stars. He's walking on clouds.

"To be able to come home and play in front of my friends and family is super exciting and I'm so fired up about it," Ty said.

He's not the only one.

"I really thought it was a pipe dream, but now this is a reality and my kid is coming home to play Division I hockey for Arizona State," Tyson said. "As shitty as it was to lose the Coyotes, this is the best possible news that I could have ever got. I'm going to be back at the Mullett. I'm going to be watching all of these games. I'm already booking flights to road games. I'm going to be watching my son flying around, hitting everything that moves.

"I gotta tell you, I am one proud dad."

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