Stastney, 22 (1/4/00), closed out his four-year career at the University of Notre Dame by helping lead the Fighting Irish to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where his team fell to Minnesota State, 1-0. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defensemen, who served as an alternate captain for Notre Dame in 2021-22, finished his senior campaign with NCAA career highs in goals (7), assists (20) and points (27), helping him earn a spot on the Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team. His 27 points tied for the lead among Notre Dame blueliners and were tied for the sixth-most among Big Ten defensemen this season; he also was named the Big Ten's Third Star of the Week on Feb. 1, the first such honor of his career. Additionally, Stastney was named a finalist for the 2022 Senior CLASS Award, which is awarded annually to a men's hockey student-athlete who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the fifth round (131st overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Stastney posted 63 points (16g-47a) in 143 games for the Fighting Irish from 2018-22 and earned multiple awards, including Second Team All-Big Ten in 2020-21 and a spot on the 2019 Big Ten All-Tournament Team. The Mequon, Wis., native represented his country at the 2020 World Junior Championship and took home a silver at the 2018 U-18 World Championship; he also spent two seasons skating for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program from 2016-18.
