Demetrios Koumontzis, pronounced KOO-moan-zees, is a true freshman committed to
 playing NCAA hockey with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Before even suiting up
in their jersey, he';s making history for them. This June, he became the
highest-selected Sun Devil in an NHL Draft when he was drafted No. 108 overall
by the Calgary Flames. But before Koumontzis gets too deep in his NHL dreams
coming true, he has to focus on what';s next, and that';s the NCAA. With that,
ASU has a lot to look forward to this upcoming season with him in the Maroon
and Gold.Who is Demetrios Koumontzis?

At age 18, Demetrios Koumontzis stands at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, a
height/weight combo that shouldn';t put him at any disadvantage in this day and
 age of the game.Demetrios Koumontzis (Photo by David Romuald)

The winger has spent much of his junior career between Minnesota and Arizona,
and it was during his first season in Phoenix as a Jr. Coyote that he
committed to Arizona State-he was only 15-years-old at the time.

Koumontzis'; claim to fame came during his seasons in 2017-18 with Edina High
and Team Northeast in the USHS-MN (United States High School-Minnesota) and
UMHSEHL (Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League) leagues respectively.
With Team Northeast, he led the league in every offensive category with 49
points (16 goals and 33 assists).

While he was ranked No. 4 on Edina High and No. 41 in the league for points, he
 was nominated for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award. He didn';t claim the award
as his own, but he joins NHL alumni Jake Gardiner, J.T. Brown, Anders Lee,
Tyler Johnson, and Matt Niskanen among others who were also named as finalists
but not recipients of the award.

Given his list of achievements, it';s not surprising an NHL team called his
name on draft day.

"We';re very proud of Komo," said Sun Devils head coach Greg Powers in a press
release. "We';ve known him for a long time as he grew up playing hockey right
here in Arizona. It';s always great when local players get drafted and to have
it be a Sun Devil is icing on the cake. We can';t wait to get him in the Maroon
 and Gold."

With the 2018 NHL Draft behind him, Koumontzis will enter the season as ASU';s
big-name player, even trumping the status of Mario Lemieux';s son Austin who
redshirted last season. But Koumontzis doesn';t exactly see himself as the
man. Since he was born in Pittsburgh he watches film on Sidney Crosby but
doesn';t dare compare himself to Crosby. He, very humbly, sees himself as
a role player.

"I would say that I';m just like a playmaker is probably the best way to
describe myself. I love making plays, I love hitting people with the puck,
getting them the goal," Koumontzis told the media after a day of the Flames';
development camp, "Just kind of a skilled forward that likes to grind it up as
well. I mean, I can be any role."

And Koumontzis isn';t just hyping himself up, he put his skills on display in a
 scrimmage during the Flames'; development camp. In his highlight from the
scrimmage, he pulled off a sneaky behind-the-back pass to Mathias Emilio
Pettersen, who netted it.

The Koumontzis-to-Pettersen goal from today's #FlamesDevCamp scrimmage.
pic.twitter.com/MNX9uC4DZO

- Torie Peterson (@ToriePeterson) July 8, 2018

While it comes during a scrimmage, Koumontzis';s skills shouldn';t be taken
lightly. The way he positioned himself between the puck and the defender shows
a great thought process in which he purposefully protected the puck and also
prevented the defender from seeing any wrist or stick movements that might
indicate what his next move will be.

It';s the little things in a player';s game that hint at the ceiling the player
 possesses. If Koumontzis is working that hard on the little things like
protecting the puck, he has a lot more in store.What Koumontzis Means to the
Desert

Arizona State is still a young program trying to find its way, and it is
evident by their numbers. They ranked near the bottom in goals for, goals
against (as in they let up some of the most), power-play percentage, shots on
goal and shooting percentage. It is then no surprise that their leading
point-getter in defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk only tallied 26 points (eight
goals and 18 assists)).

ASU could use a player to come in and be the man for them. And while
Koumontzis doesn';t seem himself as that, he might just be able to be slotted
into that position.

In terms of competition for being 'the man';, fellow winger P.J. Marrocco will
be joining the Sun Devils at the same time, but his production and numbers are
low despite a great work ethic, as expressed by head coach Powers. So
Koumontzis takes the upper hand against his fellow recruit in who will be the
one to be the most guarded man on the ice.Demetrios Koumontzis (Photo by David
Romuald)

And of course, there';s the elephant in the room that Koumontzis was already
picked by an NHL team and has a high chance of playing some form of
professional hockey because of his status of being a drafted player. Naturally,
 that heavily weighs things in his favor for him to be ASU';s man.

He would also fit well alongside Jax Murray, a late commit who';s one year
older and played in some of the same leagues as Koumontzis in Minnesota. Murray
 was listed as "a crafty playmaker. Strong in his skates with a quick stick.
Puck does not slow and he processes all his options at top speed," via a tweet
from Neutral Zone. The two together could be a real one-two punch, especially
if they can get a sniper on their line to further boost their projected numbers
 in the NCAA.

Koumontzis has all the makings of being part of the new age that will send ASU
heading upward in the standings. He';s talented, he';s crafty, he';s young and
best of all, he';s got the NHL experience from the Flames development camp.
Five other Sun Devils also gained similar experience at camps this year, so
combine his young raw potential with that of the older, more developed players,
 and you have the perfect situation to build up Koumontzis to help lead the Sun
 Devils in a new, better, direction.

The post Flames Draft Pick Koumontzis'; Future at ASU appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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