After spending much of his childhood in St. Louis, Yan Stastny has a shot at a roster spot with the St. Louis Blues after being acquired in a trade with Boston on Tuesday.
The Blues obtained the 24-year-old Stastny for a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft. Stastny had two assists in 21 games with the Bruins this season and one goal and three assists in 20 games last season with Edmonton and Boston.
St.
Louis Blues President Davidson said Stastny (5-11, 175), who can play center or wing, will join the Peoria Rivermen. Stastny also gives the team more depth at forward should the Blues decide to pursue trades involving veterans
"It's a deal that has upside," Davidson said of Stastny, who had three goals and 12 points in 11 games with Boston's Providence farm team. "He's a St.
Louis kid and certainly has strong blood lines. Now it's up to Yan to go and play hard and show us he can play. He's got a little more skill to offer than people give him credit for.
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Stastny is the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, a former Blues player and six-time all-star with the Quebec Nordiques who racked up 1,048 points during his NHL career.
Stastny's brother, Paul Stastny, is enjoying a strong rookie season with the Colorado Avalanche. He is among the NHL's rookie scoring leaders with 11 goals and 35 points in 45 games.
Uncles Anton Stastny and Marian Stastny also enjoyed successful NHL careers.
Peter Stastny remains perhaps the most beloved hockey figure in Slovakia after risking his life to become one of the first players to defect to Canada from the former Czechoslovakia.
All that moving around helped account for Yan Stastny's multinational heritage.
He was born in Quebec City, Quebec, before moving to St. Louis, where he played most of his youth hockey and attended Chaminade High School.
"My friends joke that I'm an American, born in Canada with Slovak blood," Yan Stastny told USA Today.
His hockey travels include two years with Nurnburg in the German Elite League (2003-05) as well as stints with the St. Louis Junior Blues, St. Louis Sting and Omaha Lancers.
He also played for Team USA at the 2005 and 2006 world championships.
Yan Stastny's NHL debut was against the Blues, his father's last team, on March 1, 2006, for the Edmonton Oilers.
He was with the Oilers only eight days last spring before being traded to Boston along with Marty Reasoner in a deal for Sergei Samsonov.
Stastny's name also came up in a potential deal with the Blues that involved Dean McAmmond before the Bruins-Oilers deal was completed.
Davidson said Stastny adds depth and experience.
"It's a fifth-round pick, and its not the strongest of draft years," he said.
"It's also an opportunity to get a person who already has some development under his belt. You need depth in the AHL, and you need depth at the NHL level.
"Who knows what's going to happen here over the next six weeks.
He's a young guy that really wants to be part of our organization."
Blues winger Dan Hinote is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of a shoulder injury suffered Saturday against Los Angeles.
Contact reporter Norm Sanders at or 239-2454.
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