KOSICE, Slovakia – If your name happens to be Stastny and you take the ice in Slovakia, or even have a stroll down Košice’s central Hlavna Street, you’ll surely command significant attention. That has been exactly the case during these 2011 IIHF World Championships for Yan Stastny, son of the legendary Peter, who learned to play hockey while growing up in the former Czechoslovakia, alongside brothers Anton and Marian.

“This is the motherland and it’s very special for me, such a unique experience,” says Team USA’s number 22, Yan Stastny. “It’s weird being in the spotlight. I’ve never been that person where my Dad was and my brother is. I’m just trying to stay grounded, but it’s cool to be back here. I’ve had family members come from Bratislava to watch some games and it’s been great.”

The 28-year-old Yan, older brother of 2010 Olympic silver medalist and Colorado Avalanche forward, Paul, played sparingly in parts of five NHL seasons, before skating in 2010-11 for CSKA Moscow, in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward has one goal and a key assist which came against Canada during these championships, doing whatever necessary to make a difference.

“I don’t have the skill set that my Dad and brother have,” says Yan. “I’m a “mucker” as I like say. I try to make a statement every time I’m on the ice, whatever it is, crashing the net, crashing into a body, getting a shot, blocking a shot, whatever. I feel like I’m a pretty complete player.”

This past season in Russia, Yan played in 49 games, contributing five goals and nine assists to his Moscow team. Perhaps it’s a twist of irony that Yan is making his living playing in a country that persecuted the former Czechoslovakia for so many decades, a nation where Peter, Marian and Anton became such huge stars before defecting and playing in the NHL in the early 80s, ultimately allowing him to represent the United States at international tournaments.

Nevertheless, Yan explains it has been a tremendous, life-changing experience thus far.

“It was great, very different,” he says about his first season in Moscow and the former Soviet Union. “It’s fun as a hockey player to play in so many different countries and experience different cultures, but Russia is definitely a massive country with a lot of different views than America. It was a great experience and it helped me to grow a lot more as a person.”

“The way I watch him carry himself is very different than you need to carry yourself in the States,” said Stastny’s 20-year-old U.S. teammate Derek Stepan. “He’s a very good guy to learn certain things from and I’m trying my best to learn as much as I can from him here at a short tournament.”

After these world championships conclude, Yan will likely head back to spend time in St. Louis, the city where father Peter ended his NHL career and where he calls home when not traveling and playing hockey this side of the Atlantic. Stastny will return to his Moscow club next season, where he has signed to play a second season.

“It’s a different game over there than in North America,” says Stastny about playing in the KHL. “It’s not so much of a crash and bang, go-go-go type of game. It’s almost more methodical in a way, with the bigger ice sheet and you slow down the game a lot when need be and it’s very high skilled as well.”

Father Peter, who attended games this past week here in Kosice, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, who spent 16 seasons with Quebec, New Jersey and St. Louis scoring 450 goals and more than 1200 points. As was the case when Peter, Anton and Marian won the 1979 Czechoslovakia Elite League title while skating on a line for their hometown Bratislava club, the three siblings also played together on the same line for the NHL’s now defunct Nordiques.

A few months after the brothers represented Czechoslovakia, finishing a disappointing fifth at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, it was at an international tournament in Innsbruck, Austria, that Peter took action for what he believed was a necessary change. Along with Anton, the two brothers covertly drove to Vienna and boarded a flight to Amsterdam and then Montreal paving their way to skate in the NHL, while causing ripples in the former Communist country. Marian joined them the following year.

These days, Peter represents Slovakia as a member of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, a position that he has held since 2004. The 54-year-old former NHL superstar has been outspoken, opinionated and often controversial, pertaining to both political and international hockey matters.

Despite his busy life in politics, as Yan explains, Peter still finds time to discuss the purities of the game with his sons as much as possible.

“He always has time for his kids, especially when it comes to critiquing and constructive criticism,” says Yan about father Peter. “He keeps tabs and watches games when he can and his input is very valuable to me. He’s been around the game for so long and is definitely one of the smartest hockey minds that I’ve ever been around.”

Regarding whether or not Yan might once again follow his father’s path in politics as he has done in hockey, the gritty player responds with a smirk, “Politics is not my forte. I follow just a little, but he loves politics. For me, it’s just hockey right now, and casual reading.”

Right now means tomorrow in Team USA’s final qualification round game against Switzerland and then at this week’s quarterfinals in Bratislava. Yan, who is playing on his third U.S. National Team, is purely focused on doing the little things that make a big difference while skating and “mucking” as he likes to call it, to the benefit of the red, white and blue.

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