Confirmed with Link: TOR sign F Alex Steeves to 3 year ELC

[TheDoldrums]

Really good news. I was reading about him a month ago. Didn't have too much talent to play with and their PP was terrible. He would have more production if he was on a better offensive team. His points are mostly 5v5, post I read a month ago had him tied with Caufield for the NCAA lead in 5v5 goals at that time. Hard worker. Decent chance to be a 3rd line guy who can do a bit of everything.

 

[aingefan]

Did he win the Hobey Baker? Vesey did. Don't get your hopes up.

I have the highest of hopes for any leaf prospect....why shouldn’t I?
I get that most prospects don’t make it, but I’ll be upbeat until I have no reason to.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I remember you talking about him in the other thread. You should post your analysis of him here again so everybody knows what kind of player he is.

I got it from a bunch of websites. He looks fairly legit as a potential complementary top 9 prospect and since he is late 99', he just turned 21 a few months ago (which makes him a lot more attractive than guys like Kawaguchi and Tufto who have already turned 24). Plenty of time for Steeves to develop his game even further, and he has done well at pretty much every level he's played at (PPG in the USHL in his draft year).

In terms of immediate impact, he may not be the top guy, but he is still of prospect age and he plays the kind of game you would have seen out of a guy like Trevor Moore but in a slightly larger (but still not huge) frame.

RW Alexander Steeves, Dubuque Fighting Saints (Ranked No. 200): Steeves is a two-way power forward with very good speed and a deadly shot who has played on Dubuque’s top line for most of the season. The Notre Dame commit is used on the top unit of the Fighting Saints’ power play and penalty kill, and he is a threat to score in either situation. Steeves’ shot is very heavy and creates a lot of rebounds, but he’s quick enough to drop the shoulder and skate past matador defenders to increase the quality of his scoring chance. He can play a physical, tenacious style and knows what to do to turn a harmless dump-into a lengthy possession or a clean look on goal.

Alex Steeves, Notre Dame (Jr.) – A player whose NHL market is well-documented, Steeves leads the way among undrafted free agents. Steeves sits tied for sixth overall in NCAA scoring with 31 points in 28 games, while his 15 goals ties for fourth overall. A skilled forward who makes the players around him better, Steeves is ready for the pro game, even as a junior. Assuming he forgoes his remaining NCAA eligibility, Steeves could sign soon. The Fighting Irish were knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, an early exit for a team that needed a deep run to feel secure about a national tournament spot. That loss could very well mean that Steeves’ college season is over and his pro career is ready to begin.

As I said, I had him as the top NCAA UFA this year but I didn't think the Leafs would be able to realistically land him. I would put him as a top 15 prospect in our system right now and he could easily rocket up the boards.

Matt Kiersted is now the top remaining guy on my board. Ben Meyers or especially Marc McLaughlin would also be a solid addition to our pool.

 

[Confucius]

I have the highest of hopes for any leaf prospect....why shouldn’t I?
I get that most prospects don’t make it, but I’ll be upbeat until I have no reason to.

Well its good to have a positive attitude but keep in mind this guy is 21 and wasn't voted the best player in college Hockey. Take a look at the past 20 winners of the Hobey Baker award. Almost half never played a single game in the NHL. I believe five of them weren't even drafted. Hope you don't go to the mainboards with the hype.

 

[shaner8989]

Awesome addition

 

[BertCorbeau]

Looks like our top 6 is set

Can’t complain about a free wallet. Sounds like he’s a promising player

 

[Teeder Keon]

Dubas genius confirmed.

By the way , I like the signing , I love that Dubas and the organization is looking everywhere to add possibilities, you never know and it’s free ...
He’s done his best work in this category in terms of bringing in the young and old and free , really great job

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Well its good to have a positive attitude but keep in mind this guy is 21 and wasn't voted the best player in Hockey. Take a look at the past 20 winners of the Hobey Baker award. Almost half never played a single game in the NHL. I believe five of them weren't even drafted. Hope you don't go to the mainboards with the hype.

There are also a lot of Hobey Baker non-winners who have very productive careers or even amazing careers. Even guys who are not even nominated.

Still is a very promising prospect overall. He's still going to need at least one full year in the AHL, maybe even two, but the Leafs' pool lacked some RW's at the pro level. Now we could have Robertson, Hallander, and Amirov on the LW and Steeves (plus Anderson who will likely be in the NHL next year) on the RW. Besides moving SDA or Abramov to the RW temporarily, or shifting one of those LW's to the RW, our next best RW prospect was probably Miettinen who is a few years away still.

 

[Stephen]

Well its good to have a positive attitude but keep in mind this guy is 21 and wasn't voted the best player in college Hockey. Take a look at the past 20 winners of the Hobey Baker award. Almost half never played a single game in the NHL. I believe five of them weren't even drafted. Hope you don't go to the mainboards with the hype.

Steeves doesn’t need to be hyped on the main boards but a Hobey Baker isn’t any predictor of NHL stardom either. He’s also a junior.

 

[McMozesmadness]

I think this is a sneaky good player! Nice signing!

 

[Mickey Marner]

Looks like a decent signing. Had 32 pts on ND's 84 goals, 38% of his teams offense, which is the 2nd best ratio in the conference behind Caufield. He also led all non-Badgers in conference scoring.

He's also a New England kid that didn't sign with Boston, so there's that.

 

[Leaftors]

Dubas. Genius. Confirmed.

Remember when we couldn’t get anyone to sign here

 

[Confucius]

Remember that phenom kid that was also an engineer and everybody was gaga he signed with us. I forget his name but other than the couple of games he got as a reward for signing with us we never heard from him again.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Solid signing. Yeah it's not guaranteed to work out but it's always a good thing to sign guys with potential. Shows we're still a solid destination for College free agents as well.

 

[Confucius]

Solid signing. Yeah it's not guaranteed to work out but it's always a good thing to sign guys with potential. Shows we're still a solid destination for College Free agents as well.

At least Vesey won a Hobey Baker and he was one of the better ones to win it. We waived him pretty fast.

 

[Mickey Marner]

@SeaOfBlue Does he actually play center or is he a wing?

Would be a big plus if he were actually a center at the pro level, we're lousy with winger prospects.

 

[Menzinger]

At least Vesey won a Hobey Baker and he was one of the better ones to win it. We waived him pretty fast.

Hyman developed in the college system and never won the Hobey Baker. Its not as if it's a prerequisite for NHL success for these guys. Bozak didn't win it either but the Leafs got fantastic value from his as a NCAA free agent signing

 

[Teeder Keon]

I’m so happy to sign any player that is a possibility...

but I would really like us to get some height and weight with some of these prospects in our organization , In my opinion, we need to diversify a bit more with different attributes of these players .....

 

[Fogelhund]

There are also a lot of Hobey Baker non-winners who have very productive careers or even amazing careers. Even guys who are not even nominated.

Still is a very promising prospect overall. He's still going to need at least one full year in the AHL, maybe even two, but the Leafs' pool lacked some RW's at the pro level. Now we could have Robertson, Hallander, and Amirov on the LW and Steeves (plus Anderson who will likely be in the NHL next year) on the RW. Besides moving SDA or Abramov to the RW temporarily, or shifting one of those LW's to the RW, our next best RW prospect was probably Miettinen who is a few years away still.

Mirtle called him a C. Is he actually a C? Thanks

 

[LeafChief]

 

[LeafChief]

Remember that phenom kid that was also an engineer and everybody was gaga he signed with us. I forget his name but other than the couple of games he got as a reward for signing with us we never heard from him again.

So because one college free agent didn't work. the Leafs should never try to sign another one again?

 

[Fogelhund]

 

[Confucius]

So because one college free agent didn't work. the Leafs should never try to sign another one again?

Sure they should still scout that league but I was hoping this wouldn't turn into, he is the second coming. Perhaps I overeacted carryon.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

So because one college free agent didn't work. the Leafs should never try to sign another one again?

If we would have stopped at Hansen and Irwin we never would have signed Bozak.

You always take the chance at talent. Honestly there is no reason for people to be upset about this.

 

[LeafChief]

Sure they should still scout that league but I was hoping this wouldn't turn into, he is the second coming. Perhaps I overeacted carryon.

I don't think a single person in this thread reacted in a way where you had to assume people thought this NCAA UFA was the second coming.