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Prospect Update: Sam Steel

Photo: CMJE.com

By Thomas Harrington

The final pick of the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Sam Steel had an amazing 2016-2017 season and became one of Anaheim’s top prospects.

Steel scored 23 goals and 70 points in 72 games in the 2015-2016 season, leading to Anaheim taking the young center at the end of the first round. Some thought he might go earlier than that and some thought he might be available midway into the second round. However, a year after being drafted, most other teams in the league are wishing they hadn’t passed on him. In just 66 games last year, Steel scored 50 goals and 131 points, averaging nearly two points per game. That kind of jump in production is the kind that teams dream of when they get players late in the first round and early in the second. His 50 goals were third in the entire WHL, and only one behind the top two goal scorers, both of whom played more games than Steel. Steel’s 131 points led the entire WHL, and only one other player was even close to that number; Adam Brooks finished with 130 points, while third place had 109 points. Across all of Canadian Juniors, which also includes the OHL and the QMJHL, Steel’s 131 points were first. He was also one of only five players to score 50 goals in any of those three leagues last season, including recently signed and fellow Anaheim prospect Giovanni Fiore. In the playoffs, Steel played in 23 games and scored 11 goals and 30 points, leading the Regina Pats the WHL Finals. Unfortunately, they were defeated by the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games. For his amazing season, Steel was named to the WHL (East) First All-Star Team and won both the Bobby Clarke Trophy for most points in the WHL and the Four Broncos Trophy, given to the WHL player of the year.

The only blemish on Steel’s amazing season was the fact that he was passed over by Canada at the World Juniors. However, that’s certainly no fault of Steel’s. He did everything he could to make the team, but Canada chose to go a different route and lost to the US on Troy Terry’s shootout winner. If Steel had been there, maybe things would have been different.

With Ryan Kesler likely missing the start of the season in Anaheim, Steel has a chance to make his NHL debut this year. However, even if he does, I don’t expect him to stick around for the entire season. Instead, I think the Ducks will give Steel a few NHL games so he knows what to work on and then send him back to juniors. However, if he absolutely wows the team, he could stick around for the entire season. It’s unlikely, and the Ducks usually like to let their players develop at the minors and juniors level first, but it’s not unheard of. Cam Fowler was just 18 when he made his NHL debut and stuck around for the entire year. However, instead I think he’ll go the Rickard Rakell route: get a few games of NHL experience, then go back to juniors and continue to dominate. That path certainly seems to have served Rakell well, and I think it could work for Steel as well.

While Steel could make his NHL debut this season, I do think that he’s at least a full year away from being ready for a full-time NHL job. While it’s possible he could spend some time in the AHL in the 2018-2019 season, I think he’s got a chance to be good enough and far enough ahead of Anaheim’s other prospects in a year to warrant a jump directly to Anaheim. A year ago, I thought it was a foregone conclusion that Steel would get some time in the AHL before making his way to Anaheim, but his offensive exploits this past season show that he’s got a good chance of bypassing San Diego entirely. However, this coming season will be very telling in terms of whether or not he’s ready for the Ducks’ roster in a year. Also, the Ducks have a very solid group of centers right now, and will likely have the luxury of letting Steel take a little longer to get to the NHL if they feel he needs it.

This coming season, while I’m hoping Steel makes his NHL debut, his main focus will still almost assuredly be on the WHL. I don’t expect him to match his numbers from a year ago, although if he could that would be great. Instead, I’d like to see him get a little better defensively and lead his team to the WHL championship. Also, after Team Canada left him off a year ago, I’d like to see him on Canada’s roster this season and show them that they made a mistake last year. The reasons why I don’t think he’ll quite hit those offensive numbers is because of how hard it is to average two points per game, and I think he’ll play fewer games in the WHL. If he starts the season in Anaheim and plays for Team Canada, he will play in fewer games and likely end up with fewer points as a result. Steel has shown what kind of offensive player he is, now he needs to show what else he can do on the ice. Steel will also serve as Regina’s captain this coming season. The added leadership responsibility will hopefully help him become a more complete player and ready him for the NHL.

Steel is currently signed to a three-year entry-level contract and it will begin once he has played in 10 or more professional hockey games. While that could happen this season, I think it’s more likely that happens next season instead. Once it’s up, he’ll be a restricted free agent, and I fully expect Anaheim to re-sign him when that happens. The biggest question is whether or not he’ll have done enough to warrant a long-term extension or get a bridge deal instead.

With the prospect updates now done, next up will be the strengths and weaknesses of Anaheim’s farm system.

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September 18th, 2017


Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, Prospect update, Sam Steel

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