June 10, 2002
Notre Dame, Ind. – Two Notre Dame hockey players, sophomore Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and freshman Yan Stastny (St. Louis, Mo.), have been listed by the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service among the top 84 North Americans eligible for the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. This year’s draft will be held June 22-23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
Four other Irish hockey players – three defensemen and one forward – are eligible for the draft. That list includes sophomore defenseman Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and freshmen blueliners Derek Smith (Marysville, Mich.) and Joe Zurenko (Arlington Heights, Ill.). Freshman Alex Lalonde (Newmarket, Ont.) is the third Irish forward along with Globke and Stastny available in this year’s draft.
The final Central Scouting Report includes 14 current Central Collegiate Hockey Association players among its list of the top 240 North American players, with Michigan State’s Jim Slater (11th) and Michigan’s Eric Nystrom (13th) joining Globke among the top 14 on the list.
Globke, a 6-2, 200-pound right wing/center for the Irish, was born on Oct. 24, 1982 and was eligible to opt-in to the draft a year ago, but did not. Blessed with outstanding speed and quickness, Globke scored 17 goals with 11 assists for 28 points in his rookie year and added 11 goals and 11 assists as a sophomore last season. A two-time member of the U.S. National Junior team, Globke played his junior hockey for the U.S. Under-18 team and with the Compuware Ambassadors.
Stastny, a 5-11, 175-pound center/left wing, played in 33 games as a freshman leading Irish rookies with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. A tough, tenacious hard-working forward, Stastny has outstanding hockey instincts and a nose for the puck. He is the son of NHL Hall-of-Famer Peter Stastny and has excellent hockey bloodlines. He was a member of the 2001 Clark Cup Champion Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.
Lebda, a 5-10, 195-pound defenseman was ranked 36th in December on Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings. A member of the 2001 CCHA all-rookie team, Lebda had seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points as a freshman and followed that with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 34 games as a sophomore. He was a member of the 2001-02 U.S. Junior National Team.
Smith came to Notre Dame from the U.S. Under-18 Developmental program and turned in a solid rookie season. The 6-1, 198-pound defenseman had a goal and four assists in 37 games with 44 penalty minutes.
Zurenko was ranked 46th on December’s preliminary list and worked his way into the Notre Dame lineup as the season progressed. A big, physical, stay-at-home defenseman, Zurenko is 6-1, 208-pounds. He had one assist in 20 games with 41 minutes in penalties. He played his junior hockey with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.
Lalonde rounds out the list of Irish players eligible for the 2002 Draft. He was ranked 40th in the preliminary rankings last December and had four goals and two assists in 19 games for Notre Dame with a +6 rating. A 6-0, 180-pound left wing, Lalonde missed the second half of the season to concentrate on academics. Lalonde played his junior hockey with the Ajax Axemen of the OPJHL.