Player Discussion Sam Steel

[Mr Rogers]

Not that I think Steel would turn into a completely different player at wing, but he’d have a better chance of contributing there. He’s not a centre at all. Doesn’t move nearly well enough and is poor defensively

 

[bsu]

Not that I think Steel would turn into a completely different player at wing, but he’d have a better chance of contributing there. He’s not a centre at all. Doesn’t move nearly well enough and is poor defensively

I'd like to see him at wing for like 5-10 games, if nothing then send him to AHL or trade him.

 

[Paul4587]

Steels biggest problem is that his skating hasn’t improved whatsoever since he was in juniors. He has the hockey IQ, shot and passing ability to do some damage but for a guy his size he doesn’t move nearly well enough, an extra step would make a lot of difference for him to gain separation which gives him a bit more time and space.

I miss the days where we had a specific skating coach (was it Skahan?) who would work with our prospects over the off-season and we would see massive improvements in their first step and edge work. I don’t know who works with our young guys now but I’m not seeing anywhere near as much improvement in that area anymore.

 

[AngelDuck]

Steels biggest problem is that his skating hasn’t improved whatsoever since he was in juniors. He has the hockey IQ, shot and passing ability to do some damage but for a guy his size he doesn’t move nearly well enough, an extra step would make a lot of difference for him to gain separation which gives him a bit more time and space.

I miss the days where we had a specific skating coach (was it Skahan?) who would work with our prospects over the off-season and we would see massive improvements in their first step and edge work. I don’t know who works with our young guys now but I’m not seeing anywhere near as much improvement in that area anymore.

Well that and he’s also kind of a bitch physically. Gets bumped off it in the corners pretty easily. He just doesn’t have the explosive athleticism(speed and strength) to be a very good player in this league unfortunately. He’s got everything else

 

[bsu]

I think players like Carrick/Lettieri both bring more than Steel, but this team ain't trying to win shit so might as well give Steel every opportunity possible before giving up on him like Ritchie.

 

[Ducks in a row]

Doesn't play in the first 3 games of the season then scores 2 games when he plays his 1st game

 

[Kalv]

What a champ. He was much more noticeable – engaged in the game even before he scored the goals.
I remember him just floating around when he was a center – maybe that had to do with confidence back then.

 

[MMC]

Keep him on the wing

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Doesn't play in the first 3 games of the season then scores 2 games when he plays his 1st game

That second goal looked like the Steel I remember from Juniors. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come

 

[Masch78]

Keep him on the wing

Yup, Lundy is the better center. As are Z and MacT.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

What a champ. He was much more noticeable – engaged in the game even before he scored the goals.
I remember him just floating around when he was a center – maybe that had to do with confidence back then.

I think maybe he just had to go back to the basics of what made him a great forward in the juniors, so he doesn't get to be a Center like he'd probably like
but now he can do more of the offense he's capable of and even as a winger he can still take faceoffs for the center like M.Perreault did in Winnipeg.
Its good to have a winger who can jump in at center when there is an injury or something. Maybe he can still be a center sometimes but mostly a winger.

 

[bsu]

I really like that he was benched but ready to go and ready to play. Good job Sam... Now leave him at wing.

 

[bsu]

“I said to him this morning, I want you to just think back how you felt in junior,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “This kid put up a ton of points in junior. I want you to just let your offensive game come. I feel sometimes he’s just trying to be overly responsible. Playing D, playing D, playing D. And then when it comes to the offensive game, he was turning into more of just get (the puck) deep, get it deep, get it deep and playing safe.

 

[Leonardo87]

Have to give credit to Steel for not pouting or playing the woe as me card, he kept working got in and had a great game. Should have won if not for poor goaltending. Players like Kravtsov should take notes, opportunities come, especially when players get injured. So instead of being a baby and requesting a trade, you work hard to get back in and prove you belong.

I know it's only one game, but if this is Steel moving forward, then things are looking very good for the line up.

 

[Arthuros]

He had a good game. He needs to have more.

If he can keep this up then we can avoid rushing McTavish.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Have to give credit to Steel for not pouting or playing the woe as me card, he kept working got in and had a great game. Should have won if not for poor goaltending. Players like Kravtsov should take notes, opportunities come, especially when players get injured. So instead of being a baby and requesting a trade, you work hard to get back in and prove you belong.

I know it's only one game, but if this is Steel moving forward, then things are looking very good for the line up.

If he can become a solid middle 6er, still a very win of a pick

 

[Vinegar Strokes]

He still stops moving his feet offensively way too often but he looked much better at driving the play to the net last night.

 

[AngelDuck]

That 2016 draft is trash, let’s not forget. He honestly isn’t a bad pick at all even if he’s just a depth fodder guy

He’s a great pick if he becomes a middle 6 tweener

 

[branmuffin17]

If you noticed, after he semi-got ahead of the guy sticking on him before that 2nd goal, he stopped moving his feet then. He used his momentum to turn, then had the nice deke around Smith's stick to get his goal. While it was a great goal, I think the only reason he got it is because the Oilers' D was pretty weak. They should have taken the body on him before he got that far. Also, his first goal shouldn't have gone in, IMO. So I'd consider this a good confidence-booster but not an incredibly stand-out performance. But that should buy him some more games to continue working on his game and what he needs to focus on.

@bsu That quote does shed some light on why Steel was looking so bad. Trying to drill "responsible 2-way center" into his head seems like it forced him to overcompensate for defense, and that's not his strong point. While he's not a dynamic O or D, he's get enough of a scoring touch (given the opportunity and situation) to be a functional middle-6, and maybe he'll be better as wing than C. I do think Steel looked a lot better on wing and probably makes more sense there as long as he can score.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

If you noticed, after he semi-got ahead of the guy sticking on him before that 2nd goal, he stopped moving his feet then. He used his momentum to turn, then had the nice deke around Smith's stick to get his goal. While it was a great goal, I think the only reason he got it is because the Oilers' D was pretty weak. They should have taken the body on him before he got that far. Also, his first goal shouldn't have gone in, IMO. So I'd consider this a good confidence-booster but not an incredibly stand-out performance. But that should buy him some more games to continue working on his game and what he needs to focus on.

@bsu That quote does shed some light on why Steel was looking so bad. Trying to drill "responsible 2-way center" into his head seems like it forced him to overcompensate for defense, and that's not his strong point. While he's not a dynamic O or D, he's get enough of a scoring touch (given the opportunity and situation) to be a functional middle-6, and maybe he'll be better as wing than C. I do think Steel looked a lot better on wing and probably makes more sense there as long as he can score.

I think the teams Steel have been on have been very good teams until he reached the NHL level. Even at the AHL level, the team he was on was very talented. Playing center at the NHL level will expose you if you aren't defensively sound. That's why 18-year old Lundy lasted a little longer than 20-year old Steel in the start of the 2018 season. Steel has struggled ever playing center because the game is too much for him at center at the NHL level. But when Steel was shifted to Getzlaf's wing, Steel's offense perked up. There are fewer responsibilities at wing than at center.

Today, the Ducks are starting with three centers younger than Steel in Zegras (20), Lundy (21), and Groulx (21). McTavish will probably transition to center next year. Rico is signed for a couple more seasons. Getz seemed to have found some fountain of youth water with the way he's playing. Now it the perfect time to move Steel to wing and see what we got.

 

[Mr Rogers]

Steel as is - not overly strong, physical or quick - will never be an effective defensive player. Hopefully they keep him on the wing. I really think if he sticks at the NHL level it’ll be on the wing. I got the sense last night that he could grow into a middle-six playmaking winger.

 

[bracer028]

I'd like to see him at wing for like 5-10 games, if nothing then send him to AHL or trade him.

LOL

 

[bsu]

LOL

I'm confused what your LOL is about

 

[KelVarnsen]

I'm confused what your LOL is about

It could be worse. You could have just got "This guys a scrub" or "This guys trash."

 

[KyleJRM]

I mean, might as well try him at wing because what else are we going to do this season. We can afford to burn playing time on long-shots.

I just don't see it. Wingers with a bit of offensive talent and glaring flaws are a dime a dozen. You can't throw a tennis ball into an AHL locker room without bouncing off of three guys who could play wing in the NHL if they were a step faster, a few inches taller and a little more reliable on defense. I dunno what Steel has at winger that makes him better than the Sprongs of the world.