SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Former Notre Dame forward Alex Steeves is set to make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs after being recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on Dec. 7.
The Maple Leafs play host to Columbus at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 as Steeves’ NHL debut could come against his former Fighting Irish teammate Andrew Peeke, who plays for the Blue Jackets. Peeke and Steeves played together during the 2018-19 season.
Steeves, who skated for the Irish from 2018-21 and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2020-21, had 12 points in 12 games with the Marlies this season – his first as a professional.
Steeves is set to become the 25th former Irish player under head coach Jeff Jackson to reach the NHL and the Notre Dame program’s 39th NHL player overall.
The most recent Notre Dame players to make their NHL debuts were Jordan Gross, Peeke, Jake Evans and Thomas DiPauli during the 2019-20 season.
After leading the Irish in scoring with 32 points on team-high 15 goals and 17 assists in 2020-21, Steeves was named a Second Team All-Big Ten selection. He also earned the team’s MVP and Brian “Duke” Walsh Offensive Player of the Year awards.
Steeves ended the 2020-21 season on a seven-game point streak (5-5-10) and he posted at least one point in 22 of 29 games. He had six multi-point efforts on the season, including a four point game (1-3-4) in Notre Dame’s 6-1 win at Ohio State (Feb. 5). He finished the regular season tied for fifth nationally with 15 goals, while his 14 goals in Big Ten play ranked second only to Cole Caufield (24).
An accounting major in the Mendoza College of Business, Steeves was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District selection and also earned the team’s Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley’s Rockne Student-Athlete award. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Following his breakout junior season (2020-21), Steeves signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs beginning with the 2021-22 season (March 28).
Next Up
- Notre Dame closes out the first semester next weekend by playing host to Michigan State on Dec. 10-11 at the Compton Family Ice Arena (tickets).
- Both games will be broadcast on NBCSN, with Friday’s game starting at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday’s game slated for 7 p.m.
— ND —