Could be that as part or all of it. The announcement I saw only stated he was looking for more playing time and felt he could get it at ASU. Here is the cut & paste. Title is funny, like there is a D1 PAC-12 hockey conference......
Pac-12 hockey is getting a boost with the transfer of Sean Dhooghe from Wisconsin to Arizona State. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
When college hockey returns next season, standout defenseman Sean Dhooghe will be donning a different jersey. Dhooghe, 21, announced on his personal Twitter account Friday afternoon that he will be leaving the University of Wisconsin to play his fourth and final NCAA season with Arizona State University. While this may seem like a downgrade at first glance, Wisconsin was more bark than bite this season, falling incredibly short of its preseason title as a national-championship contender. Additionally, the program has lost two of its best players to the NHL in recent weeks in the L.A. Kings’ Alex Turcotte and the New York Rangers’ K’Andre Miller. Meanwhile, Arizona State again exceeded expectations this season and was likely to qualify for the NCAA tournament for a second year in a row, despite being the most recent addition to Division I college hockey. Dhooghe will have a better chance to stand out and to shake off a down year by his standards by joining an ASU roster that is not as deep as Wisconsin on paper, but he also may have better odds at NCAA postseason glory as well.
Dhooghe, who jumped straight from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the college ranks, is a skilled defenseman who has been a fixture for the U.S. at international camps and events over the years. He plays a smart game with great vision and skating. Why then might you not have heard of him? Dhooghe makes “undersized” look like an understatement, standing at 5-3 and 150 pounds. His size wasn’t a factor in juniors, and he hasn’t let it affect his game at the college level too much, but it is fair to have serious doubts about his pro potential. He hopes to silence his critics with a big first – and last – season at Arizona State next year, which he hopes is followed up by a pro contract.
