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Alex Steeves Wants to Play for Maple Leafs, But Marlies Are Great

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated 2/6/23

On Sunday, Nick Barden of the leafsnation wrote a nice article titled “Alex Steeves’ last four games have been ‘best games’ of season, and other updates: Marlies Weekly.” The article showed the other side of playing with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Often Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans believe the Marlies is a team that players want to get away from fast – as in, heading to the big club.

Obviously, the NHL is the ultimate goal for those who play in the Maple Leafs’ organization. However, Barden’s article exemplifies the other side of the Marlies. It’s a team of players who love to play together and who are trying to win for themselves and the team every night.

Alex Steeves is a case in point.

Despite His Success, Alex Steeves Remains with the Marlies

Steeves is a 23-year-old forward who’s having a good season with the Marlies. In fact, he’s playing the best hockey of the season lately. Over the past four games, he’s put up points in each one. He’s scored three goals in that four-game span, bringing his point total to 38 points in 44 games on the season.

“These last four games, I think, are four of his best games of the season,”

Alex Steeves is finding his game at the AHL level. More on how the 23-year-old found it at this moment of the season in another edition of #Marlies Weekly: https://t.co/e0LhXxbgrN
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) February 5, 2023

However, despite that recent success, he’s not been called up to the Maple Leafs. Instead, others got called ahead of him. Some of those other players include Pontus Holmberg, Joey Anderson, and Bobby McMann.

The Maple Leafs and the Bruins Organizations Are the Best

The Marlies are having a successful season. The team is first in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 30-12-2 in 44 games. Steeves believes the success of the team is due to the players’ positive attitude. Even if the players are not getting the NHL call-ups they deserve, they enjoy playing with the Marlies.

Steeves notes that the Marlies and the Maple Leafs (as collective teams), along with the Bruins organization, have the most wins in terms of the AHL and NHL. As a result, in both organizations, many good players should be playing in the NHL but are not getting the opportunity. Despite this fact, at least with the Marlies, players like Adam Gaudette and Kyle Clifford enjoy playing hockey and being on the team. This joy of playing helps the team succeed.

However, Steeves Has Held a Positive Attitude

Steeves admits that it’s easy to be grumpy or unmotivated when players aren’t getting called up. However, at the same time, he shares that the AHL team is happy to go to the rink every day and play together. That sense of team unity makes a big impact on him and his teammates.

Steeves is impressed by the positive attitude of his teammates. He reports that it’s also rubbed off on him. And, he feels the same way.

Steeves admits that he’s learning the importance of having a good mindset during the ups and downs of his professional career. If he continues to have this positive mindset, he’ll continue to play well. And, if he continues to play well, he’ll get a call-up to the Maple Leafs very soon.

Steeves Knows that, if He Does His Job, He’ll Advance

His job, for now, is to play the best hockey he can with the Marlies. And, he’s engaged in doing just that. The cherry on the cake is that he’s loving the season.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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