Paul Stastny left the University of Denver two years early for the NHL life, and played his first game as a pro Monday night – at DU. One would presume that felt a bit weird for the 21-year-old.
“Yeah, it was at first. I saw a few of the same people in the halls who were here when I played,” Stastny said. “But as the game went along, I felt more and more comfortable out there. But I was definitely a little nervous my first couple shifts.”
Stastny, who starred for the Pioneers for two seasons, assisted on an Andrew Brunette goal in the annual Burgundy-White Avalanche scrimmage at Magness Arena. Burgundy won 4-3, with the tiebreaking, third-period goal scored by another former Pioneer, Antti Laaksonen.
Playing on a line with 2006 first-round pick Chris Stewart and Brunette, Stastny played well throughout. He was part of a White team that outshot the Burgundy 50-17 and created several close scoring chances.
“I thought it would take me a couple games to get used to the pace, but I felt pretty good with that tonight,” said Stastny, whose father, Peter, is an NHL Hall of Famer. “Just keep moving the puck, that’s what you need to do here. Just give and go a lot.”
Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville, watching the game from a press-box suite, was impressed with Stastny.
“He’s got real good play recognition,” Quenneville said. “I thought he and Stewart looked good together.”
Stastny continues to be a longshot to make the team out of training camp, as the Avs’ preferred method is to give rookies some minor-pro or more junior experience before making the leap to the NHL. But Stastny already appears high on the team’s list of potential call-ups this season from Albany of the American Hockey League.
“It’s still too early to make a decision on him,” Quenneville said. “But we think his future is bright. We’ll use him on an as-need basis.”
A third former DU forward, Mark Rycroft, also played in the game. It was Laaksonen who scored midway through the third period to give Burgundy a 3-2 lead, and veteran defenseman Ken Klee added another to increase the lead to two goals, with the White’s Victor Oreskovich scoring at the buzzer for the final score.
Stastny wasn’t the only player who stood out. Goalie Jose Theodore looked strong, stopping all 21 shots he saw before departing. Stewart showed solid speed and strength, nearly scoring a couple of goals, and Burgundy goalie Chris Mayotte made some nice saves in relief of Theodore.
“I thought the guys who played well in camp were the ones who looked the best tonight, too,” Quenneville said. “I thought the pace of the game got better and better and we saw some good things.”
Quenneville singled out newcomer Tyler Arnason as “maybe being the best player on the ice tonight.” The former Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa center looked quick and had the puck on his stick a lot.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
