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Whalers Host Sarnia and Top NHL Prospect Steve Stamkos Wednesday

October 23, 2007 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


Steven Stamkos wanted to do something special to make up for his embarrassing mistake. At the OHL All-Star skills competition in Saginaw, Mich., this past January, Stamkos lost an edge while circling the net on his fastest lap attempt and crashed heavily into the end boards. Fortunately, the only thing that he hurt was his pride.

Stamkos quickly made everyone forget his gaffe by scoring one of the prettiest shootout goals you'll see anywhere. As he cut towards the net, the 16-year-old pulled the puck to his backhand, tucked it behind his skate and then snapped a shot from behind his back that popped into the top corner on the far side of the net.

"I've been working on that one in practice the past few days," Stamkos said after the highlight reel effort. "I got lucky and it went top corner."

The YouTube clip of the goal has drawn more than 30,000 views. It was a great example of the eye-popping talent that has NHL scouts salivating over the Sarnia Sting center who is pegged as the early favorite to be the top choice at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa next June.

After being picked first overall in the 2006 OHL draft, the Unionville, Ontario, native quickly went to work establishing himself as a force with the offensively challenged Sting. The year before Sarnia drafted Stamkos, the Sting were the only team in the OHL's Western Conference that scored fewer than 200 goals. With Stamkos as their linchpin, Sarnia scored 270 goals in 2006-07 - and earned its first playoff berth in three years.

Stamkos wanted to make a good impression early in his first season, but admitted that he was a bit surprised at how easy he made things look in his first OHL game. It took him a little more than a minute to find the score sheet for the first time. He added another first-period goal and assisted on a goal in the second. It was a three-point game in his OHL debut, a 7-3 home ice win over the eventual league champion Plymouth Whalers last September.

"I was kind of like; 'Wow, this kid is going to be very special,'" said veteran OHL coach Dave MacQueen, who was making his debut behind the Sting bench. "I think what impressed me the most was his understanding of the game. He not only was dynamic offensively, but he understood the game defensively and worked hard on that end of it."

Stamkos finished the season with 42 goals and 92 points in 63 games, third among all OHL rookies behind the London Knights' dynamic duo of Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner.

"Last year was a tremendous year for me personally," said Stamkos, who was runner-up to Kane as the OHL's rookie of the year and was named the OHL's scholastic player of the year. "I didn't really know what to expect coming into the OHL and making that jump from minor hockey, but I was able to come to a great organization with a great bunch of leaders that took me under their wing and a coaching staff that had the confidence in me right from the start of the season."

MacQueen has guided future NHLers like Jamie Langenbrunner with the Peterborough Petes and Brad Boyes, Chris Campoli and Carlo Colaiacovo with the Erie Otters. He also has been around the game long enough to know exactly what NHL scouts look for in teenage hockey players.

"I think when people talk about Stamkos, they talk about his 42 goals and everything, but the part that I think NHL people were noticing was the complete game that he played," MacQueen said. "He's the kind of player that when the game is on the line, he wants the puck. It was very noticeable early on that he was going to contribute a lot for us."

At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Stamkos isn't big, but coach Peter DeBoer of the rival Kitchener Rangers says the league's new emphasis on punishing restraining fouls has made it easier for skilled players to continue to play that type of game early in their junior careers.

"It used to be that a young guy's biggest weakness is usually his strength," said DeBoer, a two-time OHL coach of the year. "With the old clutching and grabbing and that stuff, it was tough for young guys to get any open ice to do the things that they are capable of doing. Now with the new rules and the foresight of the NHL and the OHL in adopting them and holding a hard line, these kids can now come into the league and their size and strength isn't going to inhibit them as much as it used to."

Stamkos is looking to build on his memorable rookie campaign. He worked hard in the off-season to build his strength. He knows that he will need to get stronger before he can make the step up to the NHL.

"I worked really hard in the summer just to get bigger and stronger," Stamkos said. "I worked on my core strength and improved my skating because with the new rules now, skating is a big key. I know that's one of the factors that the scouts really pay attention to. I just worked really hard this summer in the gym to improve on that."

Practically everyone who cares to make a prediction has pegged Stamkos as the top pick in June. It's a goal that Stamkos will work towards, but he says he has put it out of his mind for now and will just continue to work hard on improving his already solid game.

"Coming into this year, I'm just trying to focus on my game and on helping the Sarnia Sting win this year," Stamkos said. "I try not to think about that draft ranking right now because it doesn't really mean anything. Sometimes that can mess with guy's games if they think about that. I'm just going out here thinking about helping this team win a lot of games this year and hopefully making a long run in the playoffs."



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2007


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