By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
Captain’s practices are underway, and the new-look Boston Bruins will be hitting the ice shortly for training camp. September 21 starts the preseason with a 5:00 PM game against Washington. From now until the regular season gets underway in October, Marco Sturm and his staff have a lot of decisions to make, and Don Sweeney’s moves this summer have given the coaches various options to fill out the bottom six.
The Bruins made a move that has been seemingly overlooked. On July 1, the team signed forward Alex Steeves to a one-year deal worth $850,000. Steeves was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and moved to Bedford, New Hampshire, when he was younger. Now, he is returning to New England as a member of the Boston Bruins organization. Steeves, who is 25 and stands 6’0”, has only played in 14 games at the NHL level, but his AHL numbers make this signing a very low-risk, high-reward gamble for the Bruins’ front office.
Steeves spent time with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs before moving to Sioux City of the USHL. He spent a year with the Musketeers before joining the Dubuque Fighting Saints for the following two seasons; over three seasons in the USHL, he tallied 31 goals and 86 points. He played at the University of Notre Dame from 2018-21, and overlapped with Andrew Peeke during the season he wore the ‘C’ for the Fighting Irish. Steeves scored 33 times and had 36 assists for 69 points at Notre Dame, and his performance earned him a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Steeves has played in 14 games over the last four seasons for the Maple Leafs, half of which came last season. He spent most of his time in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, holding the franchise record in goals (105) and points (216). He played 247 regular-season games for the Marlies and added seven points (3-4–7) in 12 playoff games. Alex Steeves consistently produced for the Maple Leafs’ affiliate; his point totals increased every season, starting with 46 in his rookie season and ending with 62 after his fourth year.
Last season, Steeves played 59 games for the Marlies and occasionally spent time on a line with now-Bruin Fraser Minten. He scored a career-high 36 goals and added 26 assists, averaging over a point per game. He was selected to the AHL All-Star Classic in January, and was named an AHL Second-Team All-Star at the end of the 2024-25 season. The Maple Leafs did not give him the chance he was seeking, only playing him in less than 15 games over four seasons, so Steeves comes to Boston with an added layer of motivation.
When training camp opens, the Bruins have roster spots that must be filled. The third line is a battle to watch; plenty of options exist to fill in the bottom six group of forwards. One option that has been underrated is Alex Steeves. Steeves ranked second in goals scored last season across the entire AHL, only three behind the league leader, Matej Blumel, and Steeves played in eight fewer games. In addition, 13 of those goals came on the Marlies’ power play, so Steeves could provide for a Bruins special teams that needs a turnaround.
“It’s the first time in a while I’m gonna be really going into a camp trying to make a first impression with an organization,” Steeves told Matt Vautour of MassLive. There is a lot of time between now and the start of the season, and there is a lot of competition for roster spots at camp, so getting off to a good start is critical for Steeves. There are a few open spots in the lineup that Steeves will be competing for, but against the likes of Matt Poitras, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell, Matej Blumel, Marat Khusnutdinov, Mikey Eyssimont, and Georgii Merkulov. That is not even to mention the fourth-line centers that the Bruins have as options in the bottom six.
The Bruins’ free agency signing comes to Boston seeking a chance to make the NHL lineup, alongside a fresh start. He played three years of college hockey, went undrafted, and landed an entry-level contract, but has been blocked out of a Toronto Maple Leafs lineup since then. He has been looking for an opportunity to show off his talent at the NHL level, and he was vocal about it towards the end of his time with the Marlies. His numbers support that claim, holding franchise records and three straight seasons producing over 50 points. The opportunity is right before him, and Alex Steeves can join a new-look Boston Bruins and make a name for himself.
If he does not break into the NHL lineup out of training camp, Alex Steeves will bring the Providence Bruins a scoring touch they have long been looking for. The last Providence Bruins player to score 36 goals in a season was Frank Vatrano in 2015-16. Georgii Merkulov’s 30-goal campaign in 2023-24 is the only other time the P-Bruins have had a 30-goal scorer in the last ten years. The only downside is that Alex Steeves is eligible for waivers. If the Boston Bruins want to send him to Providence, they would have to do so before the regular season starts, or else he would have to clear waivers before reporting to the minor league affiliate.
Making a quality first impression and showing off his skillset will be critical for Alex Steeves as training camp approaches. It is essential for any player going into training camp. In the last few years, players like Cole Koepke and AJ Greer entered camp as depth options, but both emerged as mainstays in the lineup throughout the seasons that they wore the black and gold.
Alex Steeves is a versatile player who produces consistently while showing signs of improvement, and he has earned a chance to show that he can play in the NHL. The Bruins’ management took a low-risk gamble that could pan out for the team. Whether Steeves earns a spot on the Boston Bruins roster out of camp or begins the season with Providence, the door will be open for him to make a lasting first impression. His ability to play on the power play can benefit the special teams as the Bruins look to fix last year’s mess, and his ability to find the back of the net can address a need for the black and gold. Steeves spent a considerable chunk of his childhood living 54 miles away from the TD Garden, and now he returns to New England with a real opportunity at the NHL in front of him.
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