It would be a rough family dinner table if they weren’t, but Jon Rosen of FOX Sports is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings have been “kicking the tires” on college free agent John Stevens out of Northeastern. The forward is the son of current Kings associate head coach John Stevens (confused yet?), and brother of St. Louis Blues draft choice Nolan Stevens.
The elder sibling, John spent this season as Northeastern’s captain and scored 28 points in 25 games. The pair were often linemates of Zach Aston-Reese, the top free agent that signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week and led the country in scoring. John doesn’t have the same upside as his younger brother, but should be considered a legitimate prospect in his own right. After playing four solid seasons at Northeastern, he will definitely get a chance to play professional hockey somewhere, with the NHL not an impossible goal some day.
Rosen believes that there are other teams interested in him, though obviously his father likely has an inside track with him. There should be some news this weekend, on whether he’ll sign a professional contract right away or get an amateur tryout for the rest of the season with the Ontario Reign. If they do lock him up, they’ll be getting a hard nosed center that can protect the puck down low and create some room for more talented linemates. He’ll rarely dazzle you with creativity or speed, but would fit in well on an AHL squad looking for some two-way talent.