The Maple Leafs announced today they’ve recalled winger Alex Steeves from AHL Toronto. They had an open roster spot after assigning defenseman Dakota Mermis to the Marlies before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, which Steeves now fills.
Steeves, 25, was an undrafted free agent signing by Toronto out of Notre Dame in 2021 and has since emerged as a star minor-leaguer. He’s operating over a point per game for the first time this season and has already set a career-high in goals, notching 29-17–46 in 40 games. He now sits atop the Marlies’ franchise leaderboard in goals (98) and points (200) since their inception in 2005. That production has never translated to the NHL, though, only notching one assist in 11 career appearances.
Four of those games came earlier this season. In a November call-up, he averaged 11:01 per game and went without a point, although he did record five shots on goal and 11 hits. He also posted strong possession metrics in primarily defensive usage, still controlling 51.5% of shot attempts at even strength.
Despite those pedestrian offensive numbers, his decent defensive showings in limited minutes and his AHL dominance make it easy to see why the Maple Leafs are interested in giving Steeves another look at the NHL level. He leads the AHL in goals and ranks third in points, trailing only Bridgeport’s Chris Terry and San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski.
Whether Steeves enters the lineup versus the Hurricanes on Saturday likely depends on the health of captain Auston Matthews. The team’s top center is skating with Team USA at the 4 Nations tournament and missed the final round-robin game against Sweden with upper-body soreness, although he’s expected back for the championship game against Canada on Thursday. He’s missed 15 regular-season games already with recurring upper-body issues.