SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Senior forward Graham Slaggert was named a Preseason Second Team All-Big Ten selection and senior defenseman Spencer Stastney earned Honorable Mention honors, the conference announced on Friday (Sept. 24).
The conference awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches, who also determined the preseason poll which placed the Fighting Irish fourth.
Slaggert, a South Bend, Indiana native, played 27 games last season and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 25 points on seven goals and a team-best 18 assists. He had a goal and an assist in Notre Dame’s 3-0 win over Ohio State (Dec. 12) for his first multipoint game of the season. He then scored a goal and added two assists for three points to lead the Irish to a 3-2 win at then top-ranked Minnesota, scoring the game winner at 15:17 of the third period (Jan. 15) en route to being named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week. He also had five points (1-4-5) in the sweep at Ohio State (Feb. 5-6).
Slaggert’s 25 points as a junior marked a season-best total and he enters his senior season with 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points in 104 games played. He has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors each of the past two seasons.
Stastney skated in all 29 games for the Irish last season, scoring a career-high five goals and adding seven assists for 12 points. A fifth round selection (131st overall) by the Nashville Predators in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Stastney’s five goals were tied with teammate Nick Leivermann and Michigan’s Nick Blankenburg for the most by a Big Ten defenseman.
A Mequon, Wisconsin native, Stastney has now played in 104 career games while scoring nine goals and adding 27 assists for 36 points. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection each of the past two seasons and earned Second Team All-BIg Ten honors last season.
2021-22 BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Michigan State
- Ohio State
2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten Hockey Team
First Team
Thomas Bordeleau, F, MICH
Ben Meyers, F, MINN
Sammy Walker, F, MINN
Owen Power, D, MICH
Jackson LaCombe, D, MINN
Jack LaFontaine, G, MINN
Second Team
Matty Beniers, F, MICH
Kent Johnson, F, MICH
Graham Slaggert, F, ND
Brock Faber, D, MINN
Ryan Johnson, D, MINN
Cameron Rowe, G, WIS
Honorable Mention
Quinn Preston, F, OSU
Mitch Lewandowski, F, MSU
Roman Ahcan, F, WIS
Dennis Cesana, D, MSU
Mike Koster, D, MINN
Spencer Stastney, D, ND
Drew DeRidder, G, MSU
Ticket Information
Notre Dame is slated to play a home exhibition game against the USNTDP at 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 3 to get the season started and will then open the regular-season at 6 p.m. on October 9 when Long Island visits the Compton Family Ice Arena.
The renewal process for returning season ticket members is underway with a September 29 deadline. More information will be released soon regarding the on-sale dates for season, mini plans and single-game tickets. In 2019-20, the Fighting Irish sold out 12 games at Compton Family Ice Arena. For more information, visit UND.com/BuyTickets or call 1-833-ND-IRISH.
— ND —