Alex Steeves knows he's having a career year. The 25-year-old Marlies winger is just not convinced he's doing much differently.
Steeves is leading the AHL in goal-scoring, with 26 goals in 37 games. He just played in his second consecutive AHL All-Star Game. His 95 goals and 195 points all-time in the AHL both recently became Marlies franchise records. Yes, his improved goal-scoring pace this season is the result of an 18.8 percent shooting percentage -- a big jump from an 11.8 percent clip over his three previous seasons. But, with seven goals in his last nine games, he hasn't slowed down as the season has progressed.
"I'm really hungry," Steeves said. "I don't think I'm shooting the puck any different from the previous three years."
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs sit 12th in the NHL with 3.07 goals per game, down from 3.63 (second in the NHL) in 2023-24. Beyond the superstar core, scoring has been a struggle.
Playing up and down the lineup, a supporting cast of Max Domi, Nick Robertson and Max Pacioretty have combined for just 16 goals. Cries of "Where is the Leafs' depth scoring?" have replaced Kardinal Offishall's "The Anthem" as the unofficial rallying cry of the city of Toronto.
The Leafs' need for bottom-six scoring and Steeves' success with the Marlies raise an obvious question: Should Steeves get an NHL opportunity?
In a season with serious implications for the future direction of the organization, taking chances on unproven minor league players high in the lineup is unlikely. Craig Berube has shown a predilection for trusted veterans.
Still, Steeves came into this campaign focused on adding Berube-approved qualities in his game, like forechecking and physicality. He focused in the off-season on adding size to make him more impactful in the corners and net-front areas.
"Because of that, I have the puck on my stick for more scoring chances," Steeves said.
Those chances have not come in the NHL.
That's partly owed to the fact that when he has been in the NHL, the back of the net has been hard to find. Steeves has one assist over 11 NHL games spread across four NHL seasons. He has yet to influence an NHL game the way he does regularly in the AHL. In NHL games, Steeves has shown he can battle well for pucks but doesn't always get to the net quick enough, nor does he always make plays with a decisive edge.
When Steeves does play in the NHL, his role changes markedly from being the depended-on, first-power-play flank man he is with the Marlies, where he also logs penalty-kill time.
Through four games in the NHL this season, he has averaged 11:01 of playing time -- the highest of his NHL career, but well below his workload with the Marlies (the AHL doesn't track ATOI). His most common Leafs linemates this season have been Connor Dewar and Steven Lorentz.
It's difficult to find the back of the net when you're playing with players whose goal is to grind down the opposition.
"A lot changes," Steeves said of moving from the AHL to the NHL. "I don't say this (with frustration) but when I'm down here, I'm playing a lot. When I'm there, ice time shrinks and you're relied on for different things to make an impact. But moving forward for me, it's important to read less into that, worry less about expectations and playing on a certain line and just be happy I'm there."
Would an NHL opportunity higher up the lineup, alongside playmakers, be a way for the AHL's leading goal scorer to translate his mojo?
"I definitely think every team wants secondary scoring from their bottom six," Steeves said. "So I don't think I go up (to the NHL) and I'm like, 'I'm not trying to score.' But you have less opportunity to score and you've got to set the big dogs up consistently for success. So those are kind of the things you think about. But again, I think for me, moving forward it's about worrying less about stereotypes."
Signed as one of the top college free agents in 2021, Steeves' cups of coffee with the Leafs were still warm by the time he was sent back to the AHL. Frustration at a lack of NHL opportunities was evident to those around him. At the end of last season, Steeves was an RFA, leaving him few options.
Signing a one-year, $775,000 deal, Steeves was determined to change his mindset.
"I definitely am not perfect at keeping my frustrations down all the time," Steeves said. "But I think my teammates know that if I show frustration, it's because of the pressure I put on myself."
Instead, this year, he acts, sounds and -- most importantly -- plays like he is at peace with his lot in life. Behind the scenes, the Marlies have been floored by Steeves' positivity at a time when many 'tweeners would veer towards negativity.
"When you're playing well, it's easy to move on from frustration," Steeves said. "When you're playing bad and you feel frustrated, you feel helpless."
The more Steeves saw how frustration over his lack of NHL opportunities affected his play, the more he wanted to change.
"It's no mystery that I want to be in the NHL. I've worked my whole life for that. I'm also remarkably lucky to be developing with the Marlies. I'm only 25. And to be relied upon to play important minutes, show younger guys stuff, that's a good position to be in too," Steeves said.
There's also inspiration and a potential path to follow in one relatively unproven player who has forced his way into Berube's good books: his close friend and former Marlie Bobby McMann. After three professional seasons, the fellow NCAA grad didn't start getting full-time NHL opportunities until he was 27.
"I've seen what's translated for (McMann). And there's a lot of that in my game. He's a shoot-first guy," Steeves said. "And now you can see how invaluable he is to the Maple Leafs. Like, they need him. So, seeing a guy, and we're not the exact same players, but there's elements of our games that are similar."
McMann's case is a reminder that, like Steeves, career paths to the NHL aren't always linear. Whether Steeves follows the path of McMann and forces himself into the Leafs conversation remains to be seen.
"So much of it is circumstantial too," Steeves said. "For whatever reason, I'm not playing with the Leafs. But they're at a certain particular point as an organization where they're making certain decisions. And I have to respect that. A lot of it is just the way things go."
Steeves is moving towards becoming a Group 6 UFA at the end of this season. This designation is for largely minor league players who have played fewer than 80 NHL games. As such, Steeves will have options.
He maintains he wants to be a Leaf, but his strong season could open up opportunities for consistent playing time on an up-and-coming team elsewhere. Or perhaps his hot streak could see him added as part of a package heading out before the NHL's March 7 trade deadline.
Another call up to the NHL might not come this season, but that won't change his approach.
He said his plan is to be, "grateful and attack every day with as much positivity as I can, knowing that eventually, my time is going to come."