Spencer Stastney has a hockey last name, although not exactly in the way you might be thinking.
Still, he's a player worth knowing now in Pittsburgh, because the Penguins just traded for him on Wednesday from the Edmonton Oilers.
The teams announced the deal just after noon on the East Coast, with Pittsburgh sending forward Filip Hallander to the Oilers to acquire Stastney, a defenseman.
There's plenty worth knowing about this newest member of the Penguins.
Spencer Stastney is a 26-year old defenseman who is the newest member of the Penguins after the trade with the Oilers.
He's originally from the state of Wisconsin but then attended his upper years of school in Illinois.
Stastney then enrolled at Notre Dame, where he scored his first collegiate goal during the Big Ten title game.
In his senior season at Notre Dame, Stastney scored seven goals with 20 assists in 29 games. He also blocked 69 shots.
Stastney played 143 games for the Fighting Irish, finishing with 16 goals and 47 assists.
He was drafted originally before he went to college, when the Nashville Predators chose him No. 131 overall (fifth round) in the 2018 NHL Draft. He had gained notoriety while playing for the U.S. National Development Team at that time.
He finally signed his entry-level contract with the Predators in 2022, and he reported to the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL.
He made his NHL debut during the 2023-24 season with the Predators and scored two goals with two assists in 20 games.
The Predators eventually traded Stastney away the next year, sending him to the Oilers in December of 2025 for a 2027 third-round pick.
Now, he has been moved again to Pittsburgh.
Stastney has also represented the United States once. He was on the silver medal U18 team at the 2018 World U18 Championships. He also played for the U.S. junior team at the 2020 World Juniors, where they didn't medal.
No, the new Penguins' defenseman is not related to the long-time NHL center.
Their last names aren't spelled exactly the same, which quickly rules this out.
The retired center Stastny was originally from Quebec and played for the Avalanche, Blues, Jets , Golden Knights and Hurricanes.
The active Stastney, a defenseman, is now heading to his third team following the Predators and Oilers thanks to this new trade to the Penguins.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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