Brandon Gorzynski returns to Arizona as state’s hockey pipeline grows

PHOENIX – The path back to Arizona wasn’t always obvious for Brandon Gorzynski, a Scottsdale native.

After years of chasing his hockey career far from home – first in Pittsburgh then in the developmental Western Hockey League with the Calgary Hitmen and Prince Albert Raiders – Gorzynski is committed to playing for Arizona State in 2026-27, part of a growing wave of homegrown players reshaping the perception of hockey in the desert.

“I’ve been playing away from home now for three or four years, and college hockey opened up for the CHL,” Gorzynski said. “I didn’t know much about college hockey, so I tried to do my research as much as I could but I’ve known (ASU coach) Greg (Powers) for a long time and it kind of just made sense to go home.”

Alongside Gorzynski will be three other Arizona-born players on the Sun Devils roster next year, Scottsdale’s Ty Nash, Mesa’s Logan Morrell and 2026-27 commit, Teddy Merrill, also from Scottsdale. 

Like Nash, Gorzynski took advantage of the NCAA’s decision to lift a long-standing ban, allowing Canadian Hockey League players to play Division I college hockey starting in the 2025-2026 season.

In a market long viewed as unconventional, where summer temperatures can push past 120 degrees, Arizona continues to produce NHL-caliber talent, from Toronto Maple Leafs’ center Auston Matthews to Buffalo Sabres’ forward Josh Doan and Florida Panthers’ forward Matthew Tkachuk.

But for Gorzynski, the return home is a full-circle moment shaped by years of sacrifice, development and belief from his family and coaches. 

At 15, that meant moving across the country to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.

“My mom and my dad had made some really big sacrifices,” Gorzynski said. “I played (in Pittsburgh) for a year, and she lived out there with me, just being here in an apartment; she left everything. (My) other brothers and everything at home, she believed in me.

“My mom does everything for me. I don’t know where I’d be without her, and you can see how much she cares. I want to do it for them.”

The decision came with plenty of uncertainty, not only for Brandon, but for his mother, Sharon Gorzynski, who had to drop everything for a chance at her son’s hockey future. 

“I basically just checked out of my life,” Sharon said. “(It) wouldn’t have been possible if Brandon wasn’t the youngest,” Sharon said. “The whole experience was really good, which it could have been a disaster, but I think it really helped Brandon.”

The move was as much about opportunity as it was about necessity. Arizona’s youth hockey scene, while growing, still lacked the depth and consistency of traditional markets.

“Our adviser at the time strongly felt that Brandon needed to make a move out of Arizona,” Sharon said. “Just (to avoid) getting really burned out on the airplane travel everywhere and playing the same teams over and over.”

Arizona’s development pipeline wasn’t without influence. Jr. Coyotes associate head coach Shane Harvey was a steady presence in Brandon’s early years, coaching him at the 14U level and helping shape the foundation that eventually led him to the WHL with the Hitmen.

“Ultimately, it’s hockey sense,” Harvey said. “You can sense that he had a sense of the game. He had high passion for having on ice success. Brandon was consistently elevating his game, which led to greater opportunities.”

Harvey saw early what separated Gorzynski from others at that age.

“He had the ability, at that age, to be an impact player and take over games,” Harvey said. “His work ethic, commitment, dedication, right at that age, you could tell he was a student of the game.”

An opportunity came when Harvey, who also serves as a scout for the Hitmen, helped connect Gorzynski to the organization. 

“He’s been around me for a long time and really believed in me,” Gorzynski said. “He was in the gym with me, on the ice with me, and kind of saw me grow up. He influenced my decision to go to Calgary and that was the best decision I’ve made.”

Gorzynski was immediately thrown into a new level of hockey – one that demanded more than just talent.

But even as the game sped up and the competition got stronger, the biggest adjustment wasn’t always on the ice. It was everything else that came with it. At 15, he had already left home once.

 Now, he was leaving for good.

“They called him while he was on the road and told him, ‘Come up next week – you might not be coming back,’” Sharon said. “I still had a lease. I dropped Brandon off at the Pittsburgh airport and just like that, he was gone. Two weeks later, they told us they were keeping him. That’s when I knew I had to break my lease.”

After three seasons with the Hitmen and a half-season with the Prince Albert Raiders following a 2025–26 trade, Gorzynski now turns his focus to the next step: the NCAA.

“A lot of guys have a tough time transitioning, just because how much faster and older and stronger everybody is,” Gorzynski said. “I think the team I’m on now and the people I skate and practice against every day, I’ll be ready to go.”

Now, he’s making his return to the Grand Canyon State, this time to take on a new challenge at ASU under Powers, with whom he has steadily built a relationship through the years. 

“I’ve known him for a while, so it was kind of just talking about it,” Gorzynski said. “It was never super serious at the start and then once it opened up, it got serious. 

That familiarity around Powers and ASU helped make the decision easier for Gorzynski.

“It’s really appealing to them,” Powers said. “When they move away and play junior hockey, whether it’s in Canada or somewhere in the United States, they realize how great it is to live here and have the opportunity to come back and play in front of friends and family after three or four years.”

That appeal is part of what made Gorzynski a natural fit for the program. 

“He’s a very cerebral player that can play up and down the lineup and is going to be a very useful piece at every level he plays,” Powers said.

As more players emerge from Arizona and begin to circle back to ASU, Gorzynski has watched the program’s rapid growth firsthand.

“I love what they’re about,” he said. “I’ve watched ASU games and I’ve seen the program. We have a lot of really good guys going. It’s pretty exciting to be home.”

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