10
Thursday, July 11, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Confidence high for Pastujov heading into senior season
Heading into his freshman
season with the Wolverines,
Nick Pastujov was tasked with
more than just preparing himself
for the transition to college
hockey. A shoulder injury and
its ensuing surgery added injury
rehabilitation to the to-do list for
the then-freshman forward. And
in the 28 games he played in his
first season, Pastujov recorded
just one goal and two assists.
Now, heading into his senior
year,
the
forward
has
had
three
consecutive
summers
of development –– seeing an
increase in production every
season
with
the
Michigan
hockey team. This summer, he
attended the New York Islanders’
development camp.
The camp’s roster featured
other college players in their
program,
junior-level
players
from
the
Canadian
Hockey
League, recently-signed players
by New York and various talent
the Islanders are scouting. For
the former 2016 seventh-round
selection by New York, this is
all part of an offseason that has
resulted in Pastujov’s confidence
being as high as ever.
“I definitely think my game
has matured every single year
in a different way,” Pastujov
told the Daily. “And I’m kind of
starting to find myself and my
identity and how I want to play
after college.”
Last season, Pastujov scored
11
goals
and
collected
13
assists.
Beyond
the
numbers
though, Pasujov’s
role
with
the
team
evolved
as he was often
slotted alongside
the team’s leading
scorer
—
then-
junior
forward
Will
Lockwood
— after then-sophomore forward
Josh
Norris’s
season-ending
injury in early January.
Norris
announced
earlier
this summer that he will forgo
his remaining two years of
eligibility and make the jump to
the National Hockey League. As
a result, the duo of Lockwood
and
Pastujov
figure
to
be
spearheading the offense this
upcoming season.
“Next year a lot of the things
that I’m going to look forward
to bringing to the table is more
or less just controlling the game,
definitely
being
a
dominant
force out there,” Pastujov said.
“I think my specialty is being
able to center players that can
definitely produce — guys like
Will
(Lockwood).
Last
year
we had a lot of
success
because
I
think
my
specialty is being
out
there
and
being able to shut
down a lot of the
defensive aspects
of the game and
get guys like that
the puck to where
they can kind of
go on offense and
do their thing.”
On top of losing one of their
most dynamic forwards in Norris,
the departure of top-assist man,
sophomore defenseman Quinn
Hughes, leaves another hole on
offense — making Pastujov’s
role as a table-setter even more
essential for Michigan.
“This year we have a good
core of our group coming in,”
Pastujov said. “And I think the
guys that left are not necessarily
going to be replaced by a lot of
the good freshmen, but we have
a good freshman class coming in.
“I think this last spring term
and summer, looking forward,
the guys are working hard … it’s
a night and day difference just
the confidence guys have in their
own game and ability to kind of
control the puck
and make plays.”
Last
year’s
team fell short of
expectations for a
program coming
off
a
Frozen
Four appearance
and one that is
accustomed
to
making
deep
tournament
runs.
They
bowed out early in the Big Ten
Tournament and failed to secure
a spot in the NCAA tournament.
This offseason, the team has
addressed that disappointment.
“I think last year the guys that
were on the Frozen Four team
that made it two years ago know
that it’s going to take a lot more
than what we had going last
year,” Pastujov said. “… the team
as a whole has come together and
realized it was not necessarily a
fluke but that’s just something
that can’t happen again. We all
kind of got together and realized
we’re going to have to work a
lot harder to dial it in on this
upcoming year.”
Pastujov is one of 12 players
remaining from that Frozen
Four roster. With less than
three
months
remaining before
the
Wolverines’
season
kicks
off
with
an
exhibition
game
against Windsor,
the
team’s
sights are set on
returning to the
Frozen Four. If
there
was
any
extra motivation
needed to get there, it will be
hosted pretty close to home for
Michigan this season.
“I think we have a unique
opportunity,”
Pastujov
said
“It’s not only my senior year
but having the Frozen Four
in Detroit — I think that’s a
huge motivator for the team
and everyone. … I don’t see any
reason why we can’t make it to
the Frozen Four and take it all
the way.”
JORGE CAZARES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior forward Nick Pastujov will be able to build upon his relationship with senior forward Will Lockwood from last year as Pastujov hopes to spearhead a Frozen Four run for the Wolverines this upcoming season.
“We have a
good core of
our group
coming in”
“I don’t see ...
why we can’t
make it to the
Frozen Four”