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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”

