By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
On July 1, 2025, Don Sweeney made a couple of moves, notably acquiring Viktor Arvidsson via trade and signing players like Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, and Mikey Eyssimont. One that slipped under the radar was the signing of former Maple Leaf, Alex Steeves. The Minnesota native spent a considerable portion of his childhood in New Hampshire, but he has pushed to make Boston, Massachusetts, his home for the near future.
In four years with the Toronto organization, Alex Steeves saw NHL action 14 times; the most of his time in Toronto was spent with the AHL Marlies, where he amassed a franchise-leading 115 goals and 216 points across 247 games. After a long look at training camp, Alex Steeves was sent down to Providence. He started the season in Rhode Island, picking up three goals and eight points over nine games.
On November 8, the Boston Bruins placed Elias Lindholm on the injured reserve, and Steeves was brought up. The Bruins were getting ready for two games against Steeves’ former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Steeves made his impact almost immediately. In his second game, he collected a feed from Hampus Lindholm, walked around the offensive zone, and snuck a shot through the equipment of Anthony Stolarz. His early influence was felt; he scored a goal and picked up 14 hits in his first three games with Boston.
Players will go through ups and downs, but their mindset is crucial to whether they sink or swim in adversity. After a quieter game on November 17 from the black and gold, Steeves addressed the media: “I think the mentality should be next man up, and try and grab ahold of opportunities.”
The injury bug has bitten the Bruins throughout the first 30 games; top-six forwards like David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Viktor Arvidsson, and Casey Mittelstadt have missed multiple games this season. All of the injuries have allowed players like Alex Steeves to secure a spot in the lineup.
Marco Sturm has maximized Alex Steeves’ output, giving him the chance to make a name for himself on the special teams units. He delivered. The night before Thanksgiving, the Bruins were on Long Island for their third and final date with the New York Islanders. Steeves, who scored six minutes into the game, was running on the penalty kill with another former-Leaf, Fraser Minten. Steeves picked up an errant pass from Matthew Schaefer and darted down the ice with Fraser Minten. Minten showed off a toe drag to set up a highlight-reel shorthanded goal for Steeves, which was the first (and only) of the Bruins’ 2025-26 campaign.
“I’m never gonna stop trying to make goal scoring a part of my identity,” Steeves said after he notched his first multi-goal game in the NHL. Two days later, the Bruins were lining up to host the New York Rangers, but without both David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. Steeves was elevated to the first line, playing alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie. This has not changed. Steeves has stuck on the first line through the entirety of Pastrnak’s injury, and as the games go by, he has made it more and more difficult for the Bruins to move him out of their lineup when Pastrnak comes back.
Steeves notched his second multi-goal NHL game less than a week after his first one; the Bruins fell to the Red Wings on the back leg of their home-and-home, but to take away a positive, Alex Steeves had a really productive performance. Steeves finished with two goals on two shots and added three hits to the box score. Steeves picked up 2:16 of shorthanded time on ice, and for the second straight game, he picked up time on the powerplay, albeit briefly, totaling 25 seconds on the man advantage. He was all over the puck, creating chances for the Bruins in the offensive zone and using his motor to keep the Bruins competitive all the way down to the final minute.
He rolled that performance back into the TD Garden when Jim Montgomery and the St. Louis Blues came to town. Still on the first line, he was also deployed to both special teams units. Steeves opened the scoring six and a half minutes into the game, hanging out on the right side and burying the Morgan Geekie feed into the back of the net. He then assisted on Morgan Geekie’s 21st goal of the season and delivered six hits on the Blues. Steeves, in back-to-back games, continued to make a strong case for a full-time roster spot.
“Goal scoring is a part of my identity, I love it,” Steeves would say after the game, “you can probably see with my celebrations and stuff. It’s been a big release for me.”
“That’s the nice part about him, he can play any line, he can play any side,” Sturm said, “I can use him. That’s what I like about him. I brought him up from the minors, and I put him in more of like a checking role on the fourth line.” Steeves has elevated his game to provide reliable offense on the first line, and he is shooting at a team-leading 28.6% rate. He was recognized by the team as the player of the week, finishing with four points in the last three games.
At the season’s opening press conference, Cam Neely mentioned that the Bruins were a team that had some “piss and vinegar,” and that they were going to be a “tough out.” Alex Steeves, along with offense, provides the grit Neely is looking for as well. In his 14 games this season, Steeves has laid 52 hits, ranking him sixth on the team. It is worth noting that everyone ranked ahead of him in that category has played 16 more games than Steeves.
Led by an opportunistic mentality, a goal-scoring desire, a well-rounded game, and the versatility to play anywhere in the lineup, Alex Steeves has made it extremely difficult to take him out of the lineup. He embodies the “piss and vinegar” and helps make the Bruins team a “tough out” on a nightly basis. Also, since he has played in more than 10 games with the NHL squad, he would require waivers if assigned to Providence. With his emergence into the lineup, risking him on waivers would likely be the end of Steeves’ time in Boston.
Alex Steeves and the Bruins are getting set for a three-game road trip in the Central Division, but they will return home on December 16 for a five-game homestand right before the holiday break. If you are looking to catch any of the action, including Boston, Providence, and local NCAA teams, please check out our StubHub Ticket-affiliated link HERE for the most competitive concert and sporting event tickets in the North American region.
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