SOUTH BEND, Ind. – University of Notre Dame senior defenseman Spencer Stastney has signed a two-year entry-level contract that will begin with the 2022-23 season, the Nashville Predators announced (March 31).
Stastney was originally a fifth round selection (131st overall) by Nashville in the 2018 NHL Draft.
A 2021-22 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten team honoree, Stastney helped lead Notre Dame to the NCAA Albany Regional Final.
Stastney, who served as an alternate captain in 2021-22, skated in 39 games and tied for second on the team with 27 points (7-20-27). His seven goals, 20 assists and a27 points were all career-high totals and he was the only defenseman with multiple shorthanded goals this season. He had the top plus/minus on the team at +18 and his 20 assists ranked second on the Irish. He also blocked 69 shots to rank second on the Irish and in the Big Ten and tied for 11th in the country. He served a key role in Notre Dame’s top-ranked penalty kill unit.
The Mequon, Wisconsin native finished his career with 16 goals and 47 assists for 63 points in 143 games played and a +28 rating. Following the 2021-22 season, he was voted as the team’s Monogram Club MVP, marking the second defenseman in the Jeff Jackson era to earn the honor (Robbie Russo, 2014-15).
A Film, Television and Theatre & Finance double major, Stastney is a Senior Class Award finalist and was named an 2021-22 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection.
AS A SENIOR
- Named an alternate captain for the 2021-22 season.
- Began season on a three-game point streak, including an assist on the overtime game winner at Michigan Tech (Oct. 9-16; 0-3-3).
- Set a career-high for assists in a game with three in 5-1 home win over Wisconsin (Nov. 12).
- Earned first multi-goal game of his career with two goals, including the game-tying goal, in the 3-2 win over Michigan State (Dec. 10).
- Notched a goal against Niagara (Jan. 1).
- Recorded assists in three straight games, capped off by an assist on Max Ellis’ last-second overtime winner at Penn State (Jan. 8).
- Scored the overtime game winner to knock off Ohio State on the road, 3-2 (Jan. 14).
- The overtime game winner against the Buckeyes set a career-high point streak with five games (Jan. 1-14; 2-3-5).
- Tied a career-high in points with a goal and two assists in 8-2 victory over Boston College (Jan. 19).
- Notched two assists against Minnesota, including one on Landon Slaggert’s overtime game winner (Jan. 29).
- Tallied a goal and an assist en route to a 4-2 victory at Michigan State (Feb. 19).
- Scored the final goal on a breakaway to seal the 4-1 win over No. 2 Michigan (Feb. 25).
- Assisted on Trevor Janicke’s game winner in the closing minutes against No. 2 Michigan (Feb. 26) on senior night to extend his point streak to three games (Feb. 19-26; 2-2-4).
- Assisted on Trevor Janicke’s game-winning goal with 20.7 seconds left in game 2 of the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin (Mar. 5).
#IrishInTheNHL
- Fourteen former Fighting Irish players have played in the NHL this season: Anders Bjork (Buffalo Sabres), Ian Cole (Carolina Hurricanes), Jake Evans (Montreal Canadiens), Steven Fogarty (Boston Bruins), Jordan Gross (Colorado Avalanche) Vinnie Hinostroza (Buffalo Sabres), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Kyle Palmieri (New York Islanders), Andrew Peeke (Columbus), Cal Petersen (Los Angeles Kings), Bryan Rust (Pittsburgh Penguins), Riley Sheahan (Seattle Kraken), Alex Steeves (Toronto Maple Leafs) and TJ Tynan (Los Angeles Kings).
- Steeves made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 7 against Columbus (and former Notre Dame teammate Andrew Peeke) in a 5-4 Toronto win.
- Steeves, who earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2020-21, became the 25th former Irish player under head coach Jeff Jackson to reach the NHL and the Notre Dame program’s 39th NHL player overall.
- Prior to Steeves, the most recent Notre Dame players to make their NHL debuts were Jordan Gross, Peeke, Jake Evans and Thomas DiPauli during the 2019-20 season.
- Former Fighting Irish All-American goaltender Cale Morris (Chicago) and former captain Cal Burke (Colorado) inked NHL deals around the first of the year and were recalled to their teams’ respective taxi squads.
- Morris, who played from 2016-20 and led the Irish to the 2018 NCAA Championship game, signed a one-year entry-level deal on Dec. 31.
- Burke, who also played from 2016-20 with the Irish, signed a one-year contract with Colorado on Dec. 16 and later was recalled to the taxi squad.
- Former Irish captain Steven Fogarty made his Boston debut late in January to become the 14th former Fighting Irish player to appear in the NHL this season.
– ND –