Do the Toronto Maple Leafs have a potential star in the making in Alex Steeves? He’s now had two seasons with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Toronto Marlies, and during both seasons, he has impressed.
During the 2021-22 AHL season, Steeves scored 23 goals and added 23 assists (for 46 points) in 58 games. He didn’t stop there. During the 2022-23 season, he improved his scoring with 19 goals and 32 assists (for 51 points) in 65 regular-season games. For good measure, during the playoffs, he added five points in seven games.
While he’s only put up a single assist in six NHL games, he’s been impactful at the AHL level. He’s a consistent scorer and looks to have solidified his potential for future success. What now for the 23-year-old prospect?
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The question entering the 2023-24 season is whether Steeves can make the big team out of training camp. Will he be wearing the Maple Leafs Blue and White jersey as a bottom-six forward this season? If he can, it would help his team engage in some of the salary-cap magic it always seems to need. He’d be an inexpensive addition for the upcoming season.
Alex Steeves Early Hockey Journey
Steeves was born on Dec. 10, 1999, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He’s a 6-foot center, who weighs 196 pounds. Although he was never drafted, his journey in the hockey world has moved consistently upward. He’s been driven to show his ability for continual growth and development as a player.
In the 2015-16 season, Steeves played four games with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and scored two goals and four assists in those games. He almost immediately transitioned to the United States Hockey League (USHL). There he spent three seasons.
Starting slowly, Steeves eventually began to show the offense he’s now shown in the AHL. During the 2015-16 season, he registered 11 points in 39 games. Moving to the Dubuque Fighting Saints, he steadily increased his point production over three seasons. In his last USHL season (2017-18), he scored 57 points in 55 games.
Steeves Joins the Division 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Transitioning to the college level with Notre Dame, Steeves’ again showed his scoring prowess. He also showed consistent improvement in each of his three years there. As a freshman in 2018-19, he put up nine points. By his final season, he’d put up an impressive 32 points (15 goals and 17 assists) in 29 games. That ranked him 10th among all college players in the United States.
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In the end, although Steeves didn’t stay for his senior season, he had a successful collegiate career at Notre Dame. In 104 games, he totaled 69 points (with 33 goals and 36 assists). He was part of a Fighting Irish team that won a B1G championship in 2019 and earned several awards, including his selection to the B1G Second All-Star Team.
Although leaving Notre Dame was a tough decision to make, he signed an Entry-Level Contract with the Maple Leafs for the 2021-22 season.
Steeves Wanted to Dominate at the AHL Level
One reason Steeves left Notre Dame early was because he wanted to test himself. He believed he could “dominate” at the AHL level.
In an interview a year ago, Steeves talked about his decision to leave Notre Dame. He was asked the question: “Where does the mindset of wanting to “dominate” in the AHL come from?”
He noted: “I think just high expectations for myself. I left school early, and I could’ve gone back for another year, but I made the decision to leave early and turn pro because I believed I was ready to be a player that I wanted to be at the pro level.”
Steeves added: “School is really important to me so I think, mentally, in order to give myself the okay to forgo my senior year and my degree, for now, I had to know I was ready to go in and at least at the American Hockey League level, be ready to play really important minutes and contribute, help teams win hockey games.”
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In fact, Steeves did dominate at the AHL level. He scored 23 goals in his rookie season there, which tied him for the record with Josh Leivo, who had finished his rookie season scoring 23 goals to become the first Marlies rookie first Marlies to eclipse the 20-goal plateau in franchise history. Interestingly, however, Steeves didn’t set the record. That same season Bobby McMann scored 24 goals to claim the Marlies rookie record.
Steeves Notes the Motivation from NOT Being Drafted
By his own admission, Steeves is driven. In the same interview from last year, he emphasized how crucial not being drafted was for his motivation. He views this setback as the most significant turning point in his journey.
While he had faced challenges before, being passed during the draft was emotionally demanding. Yet, this trial taught him the impact of overcoming adversity on his path to success. He’s learned to embrace adversity and approach it positively. In fact, he’s now challenged to allow adversity to become a powerful force propelling him forward.
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Steeves believes that facing and overcoming challenges can act as a catalyst, setting off for him a chain reaction of achievements. Although he believes his strong work ethic and passion for hockey would have pushed him even if he had been drafted, not being drafted was a tough but crucial lesson for him. Now, when confronted with difficult situations, he feels comfortable and prepared to overcome them.
Does Steeves Have a Bright Future with the Maple Leafs
This season, he’ll face one more problem. There are a number of openings for Marlies players to jump into training camp with the hope of a spot on the big club. Certainly, Steeves is among them. If he overcomes this one more adversity, there’s a chance he could become a crucial part of the Maple Leafs roster.
He’s a scorer. And that’s a skill set that gives him a leg up on many other prospects. If makes the Maple Leafs roster, Steeves’ journey from undrafted prospect to NHL regular could set a benefit for the organization.
Then the next adversity would be a Stanley Cup run.
