The Nashville Predators have assigned defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Stastney was recalled on November 14th, a move that coincided with Thomas Novak’s move to injured reserve. Stastney has since played in five games with the Predators, scoring his first NHL goal and recording a +4. He has also played in 10 AHL games this season, scoring four points.
Stastney was drafted by the Predators in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He went on to play four years at the University of Notre Dame, signing with Nashville following the conclusion of his senior year. Stastney totaled 143 career games in college and scored 63 points. Stastney played in his first full professional season last year when he recorded 13 points in 56 games with the Admirals. He also received his NHL debut last season, playing in eight games with the Predators and netting two assists.
Stastney’s assignment to the AHL lines up with Luke Schenn’s return to action. Schenn was activated on November 26th and played in his second game of the season, after suffering a lower-body injury that held him out for roughly six weeks. Schenn is in his first year with the Predators, making Nashville the eighth club that he’s played games for. The Predators signed Schenn to a three-year, $8.25MM contract on July 1st. He brings 935 games of NHL experience to the club, netting 191 points and 3161 hits in that span. With the assignment of 23-year-old Stastney, and the return of 34-year-old Schenn, the average age of Nashville’s blue line goes from 28.5 to 30.