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Stastney And Hellickson Earn Preseason B1G Honors

NOTRE DAME, Ind. Fighting Irish junior defenseman Spencer Stastney was named a Preseason Second Team All-Big Ten selection, the conference announced on Monday (Nov. 9).

In addition, senior defenseman Matt Hellickson earned Honorable Mention honors while Notre Dame was selected to tie for third – all of which was determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.

2020-21 Big Ten Preseason Poll
1 — Minnesota
2 — Michigan
3t — Notre Dame
3t — Ohio State
5 — Wisconsin
6 — Michigan State
7 — Penn State

Last season, Stastney scored three goals and recorded 17 assists for 20 points, all of which marked career-high totals. He also skated for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship (Czech Republic). A fifth round (131st overall) selection by Nashville in the 2018 NHL Draft, Stastney has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of his first two seasons. He has played in 75 career games while totaling 24 points on four goals and 20 assists. He also earned 2019 Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. 

Hellickson, who will serve as an alternate captain this season, was named an honorable mention selection after also being named a 2019 honorable mention All-Big Ten selection at the conclusion of his junior season. He has skated in 117 career games while totaling 12 goals and adding 32 assists for 44 points. His 117 games played represent a consecutive games played streak, as he has not missed a game in his Irish career. A 2018-19 and 2019-20 Academic All-Big Ten selection, he scored five goals as a junior and added 11 assists in 37 games.He was selected in the seventh round, 214th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2017 NHL Draft.

The Irish will open the 2020-21 season with a two-game home series versus Wisconsin on Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 at the Compton Family Ice Arena. Both games are slated for 7 p.m. ET.

B1G Scheduling Notes

  • Each Big Ten team will play a 24-game conference schedule, plus an additional four games per school against Arizona State University hosted at Big Ten venues. 
  • After hosting the Badgers and then completing final exams, Notre Dame will hit the road for a two-game series at Michigan (Nov. 27-28).
  • The Irish will then play host to Arizona State (Dec. 3-4), Ohio State (Dec 12-13) and Michigan State (Dec. 19-20) before the winter break.  
  • Additional start times, broadcast coverage, attendance policies and the remainder of the schedule will be announced at a later date.
  • The 2021 Big Ten Hockey Tournament will return to the one-weekend, single-elimination format used during the first four years of Big Ten hockey and will feature all seven conference teams – Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. 
  • The tournament will be held March 18-20 and will consist of six games (three games on Thursday; two games on Friday; and the championship game on Saturday).

2020-21 Preseason All-Big Ten Hockey Team
As selected by Big Ten coaches

FIRST TEAM 
Sammy Walker, F, MINN
Alex Limoges, F, PSU
Cole Caufield, F, WIS
Cameron York, D, MICH
Dennis Cesana, D, MSU
Strauss Mann, G, MICH 

SECOND TEAM
Johnny Beecher, F, MICH
Mitch Lewandowski, F, MSU
Brannon McManus, F, MINN
Jackson LaCombe, D, MINN
Spencer Stastney, D, ND
Tommy Nappier, G, OSU 

HONORABLE MENTION
Ben Meyers, F, MINN
Quinn Preston, F, OSU
Gustaf Westlund, F, OSU
Dylan Holloway, F, WIS
Owen Power, D, MICH
Matt Hellickson, D, ND
Ty Emberson, D, WIS

 

— ND —