Nation Network Prospect Profiles: #37 Sam Steel

Sam Steel is an elusive, smallish center with exceptional hockey IQ and offensive creativity. Steel possesses elite on-ice vision and situational awareness which, when combined with his high-end speed, gives defenders fits when trying to shut him down. He has the ability to stickhandle in tight spaces through traffic, or under pressure from checkers, and he can thread the needle to his open wingers at anytime. Steel has a deceptively hard and accurate shot, which he could stand to use more of, and he has a penchant for scoring big goals 5-on-5. His defensive game still needs refinement but he is a capable backchecker and penalty killer, and displays leadership qualities on and off the ice. Steel continues to need to grow and get stronger to make the best of his tools but as he does he may become an even more dominant offensive player. 

After being a second overall pick in his bantam class, Steel underwhelmed at times this season but was pretty impressive overall. He’s got above-average to top-end skating, hands and hockey IQ. He can play the game with a quick tempo and shows the ability to make defenders miss with his feet and hands, while also showing the vision to create for others. Steel is not one-dimensional, and he has shown decent defensive prowess by being an effective penalty killer for his junior team and for Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. One downgrade for Steel was a notable inconsistency in terms of his offensive play.

Steel made immediate noise in the WHL after Regina made him the second overall pick in 2013, placing among the leaders in scoring categories, and bridging his team’s rebuilding gap. He’s part of an impressive group of 1998-born draft eligibles to come out of Western Canada, and some might say he’s at or near the top of an impressive list of WHL forwards. Steel is an excellent scorer from the center ice position, with the smarts to augment an elite finesse game. He’s very good around the net, using his quick hands and keen vision to create multiple opportunities without the benefit of time or space. Slight of frame, Steel relies on his first-step quickness and acceleration to distance himself from opposing checkers. He keeps his head up as he blasts through the neutral zone, cutting, curling and shifting in order to maintain possession. He doesn’t like to get hit, but plays a feisty enough game to get involved as long as he doesn’t have to pay a heavy price along the boards.
A power play specialist with a penchant for delivering in the clutch, Steel has a very good shot that he wires hard off the pass or off his back foot. He simply doesn’t use it enough, but he gets a mulligan when you consider he uses common sense more than constantly deferring to the shot or pass on first impulse. He plays in all situations and can be groomed as a realistic two-way option for the pivot.