Derek Stepan

Derek Kenneth Stepan (/stɛˈpɑːn/ steh-PAHN;[1] born June 18, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has played for two other teams in the NHL: the Arizona Coyotes and the New York Rangers who drafted Stepan in the second round, 51st overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Derek Stepan
Stepan with the New York Rangers in 2011
Born (1990-06-18) June 18, 1990
Hastings, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Ottawa Senators
New York Rangers
KalPa
Arizona Coyotes
National team  United States
NHL Draft 51st overall, 2008
New York Rangers
Playing career 2010–present

After being drafted, Stepan attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played for the Badgers hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association WCHA. On July 1, 2010, he signed his first professional contract with the Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin.[2] On October 9, 2010, he became the first player in Rangers history, and the fourth in NHL history, to score a hat trick in his NHL debut.

Playing career

Amateur
Stepan with the Badgers collegiate team, during his final year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

Stepan attended high school at Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where he played on the hockey team. He scored 81 points during his junior year and 111 during his senior year at the school.[3] He then attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played for the Badgers ice hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

New York Rangers (2010–2017)

On July 1, 2010, Stepan signed his first professional contract with the New York Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin.[2] In Fall 2010, having attended the Rangers' training camp and playing for the team during the pre-season, Stepan made the transition from Wisconsin to the NHL. He scored a hat trick in his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, becoming the first rookie in Rangers history to do so, en route to a 6–3 victory.[4] He is only the fourth player in NHL history to have scored a hat-trick in his debut, joining Alex Smart of the Montreal Canadiens (January 14, 1943), Réal Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques (October 10, 1979) and Fabian Brunnström of the Dallas Stars (October 15, 2008). Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs later accomplished the feat with four goals (October 12, 2016). Stepan was selected as a member of the 2011 NHL All Star roster on January 11, 2011, and performed in the NHL SuperSkills competition on January 29, 2011.

Stepan practicing in front of the net with the Rangers, March 2013

In the 2012–13 season, Stepan finished tied for the NHL lead with four short-handed points.[5] On September 26, 2013, Stepan signed a new two-year, $6.15 million contract with New York for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons.[5] On September 24, 2014 Stepan suffered a broken leg in a non-contact drill during a Rangers practice.[6]

On May 13, 2015, Stepan scored the overtime and series winning goal against the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Rangers would eventually lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.[7]

Following the 2014–15 season, Stepan became a restricted free agent under the terms of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The Rangers made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights. However, Stepan rejected the initial contract, which was worth $5.2 million per year. On July 5, 2015, Stepan filed for Salary Arbitration under the CBA, seeking at least $7.25 million per year.[8] On the morning of July 27, 2015, just hours before his arbitration hearing was scheduled to occur, Stepan and the Rangers agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract lasting to the end of the 2020–21 season.[9] Paying an average of $6.5 million annually, the contract made Stepan the second-highest-paid Rangers forward at the time behind Rick Nash, who made $7.9 million per year.

Arizona Coyotes (2017–2020)

On June 23, 2017, Stepan (along with goaltender Antti Raanta) was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.[10] Stepan scored 14 goals with 42 assists in his first season with the Coyotes, playing in all 82 games. He was named an alternative captain for the Coyotes to begin the 2017–18 season.[11]

During the 2018–19 season, Stepan played in his 600th career NHL game on October 10, 2018, becoming the first player drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but who was not a first-rounder to reach that milestone.[12]

Ottawa Senators (2020–present)

On December 26, 2020, after three seasons with the Coyotes, Stepan was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft which originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets.[13]

International play
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing the  United States
World Junior Championships
2010 Saskatoon

At the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championships, Stepan was the captain of the United States team and led the tournament in scoring with four goals and ten assists in seven games, leading to an All-Star Team selection.[14][15][16][17] He captained the United States to win their second gold medal ever, defeating Canada in overtime.[18]

Stepan joined the United States men's team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, playing alongside Ranger teammate Ryan McDonagh and Ranger prospect Chris Kreider. He finished the tournament with seven points in seven games, and was selected as a top three player on the U.S.

Personal life

Stepan was born into a hockey family, as his father Brad was also a draft pick of the Rangers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Stepan's younger cousin, Zachary, was selected 112th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[19] On August 9, 2014, Stepan married his longtime girlfriend Stephanie Kent in their home state, Minnesota. Stephanie gave birth to the couple's first child on October 27, 2015, and their second child on September 21, 2017.[20]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Shattuck-Saint Mary's HS-Prep 6338327022 —————
2007–08 Shattuck-Saint Mary's HS-Prep 60446711122 —————
2008–09 University of Wisconsin WCHA 40924336 —————
2009–10 University of Wisconsin WCHA 4112425410 —————
2010–11 New York Rangers NHL 8221244520 50002
2011–12 New York Rangers NHL 8217345122 201894
2012–13 KalPa SM-l 122240 —————
2012–13 New York Rangers NHL 4818264412 124152
2013–14 New York Rangers NHL 8217405718 24510152
2014–15 New York Rangers NHL 6816395522 19571210
2015–16 New York Rangers NHL 7222315320 52020
2016–17 New York Rangers NHL 8117385516 122464
2017–18 Arizona Coyotes NHL 8214425626 —————
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 7215203514 —————
2019–20 Arizona Coyotes NHL 7010182816 91456
NHL totals 739 167 312 479 186 106 20 34 54 30

International
Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2010 United States WJC 7 4 10 14 4
2011 United States WC 8th 7 2 5 7 2
2014 United States OG 4th 1 0 0 0 0
2016 United States WCH 7th 3 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 7 4 10 14 4
Senior totals 11 2 6 8 2

References
  1. 2014–15 National Hockey League (NHL) Player Pronunciations.
  2. "Stepan making jump to pro game". New York Rangers. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  3. "Prospect: Derek Stepan". hockeysfuture.com. January 14, 2010.
  4. "NHL - New York Rangers/Buffalo Sabres Box Score Saturday October 9, 2010". Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  5. Podell, I. (September 26, 2013). "Stepan, Rangers agree to 2-year contract". Associated Press. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  6. Leonard, Pat (September 24, 2014). "Derek Stepan suffers broken leg, NY Rangers center will be out indefinitely". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  7. "Stepan scores 3 in NHL debut in Rangers 6-3 win". yahoo.com. October 9, 2010.
  8. "Arbitration cases scheduled". National Hockey League. July 5, 2015. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  9. "Rangers sign Stepan to 6-year $39 million contract". CBS Sports. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  10. "Coyotes acquire Stepan, Raanta from Rangers for No.7 pick and DeAngelo". Arizona Coyotes. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  11. "Coyotes Announce Leadership Group for 2017-18 Season". NHL.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. Vest, Day (October 10, 2018). "Preview: Coyotes at Ducks". NHL.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  13. "Senators acquire forward Derek Stepan from Arizona". Ottawa Senators. December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  14. "Scoring Leaders" (PDF). iihf.com. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  15. "Media All Stars" (PDF). iihf.com. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  16. "Goalscoring Leaders" (PDF). iihf.com. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  17. "Player Statistics by Team: USA" (PDF). iihf.com. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  18. "New champs: USA stuns Canada". iihf.com. January 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010.
  19. "Stepan bloodlines run in the NHL". National Hockey League. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  20. Dillman, Lisa (October 3, 2017). "Five Questions with Derek Stepan". NHL.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
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