Paul
Stastny was a constant threat around the North Dakota
net at the Frozen Four.
Photo
by Sam Cooper
Key
Statistics: En route to being named the WCHA’s top
rookie last season, Stastny finished second to teammate Gabe
Gauthier on the Pioneers scoring chart with 45 points in 42
games. Most significant among those points were the two goals
he notched in Denver’s 4-1 win over North Dakota in the national
championship game – earning him a spot on the Frozen Four’s
all-tournament team, as well as a nice ring.
What He Does: A Stanley Cup was about the only honor
that eluded Paul’s father, Peter, during the elder Stastny’s
15-season NHL career with the Nordiques, Devils and Blues.
Not so for Paul, who took step one in filling his hall-of-fame
father’s big skates as a college hockey rookie, winning a
NCAA title while putting up eye-popping numbers. Stastny knows
that a cool last name isn’t the only thing he got from his
father, and shows it on the hockey rink. “There are some things
about the game, that you can’t teach,” Paul says. “I know
that I’m fortunate to have those genes, and I try to take
full advantage of them on the rink.”
The Bigger Picture: Denver coach George Gwozdecky
and his assistants did extensive scouting of Stastny while
the player was skating in the USHL. Consistent reports that
Stastny was “an OK player but couldn’t skate” left the DU
coaches scratching their heads, especially when they saw his
ability to pass the puck and make plays with a chessmaster-like
ability to think several moves ahead of an opponent. Stastny
admits that he’s not the fastest guy in the world, or even
on the team, but notes that hockey isn’t played all at one
pace, and uses his mobility and his ability to see the ice
to make plays. That playmaking ability will certainly be a
key if the Pioneers are serious about making college hockey’s
first-ever NCAA title three-peat.
Pioneers
coach George Gwozdecky on Stastny: “Paul plays as
well in his own zone as in the opponents’ zone, and he sees
plays one or two steps ahead of anyone else. You can say a
lot for genetics, because there are certain things he has
that he hasn’t been taught here.”
