Derek Stepan
First Ranger to score a hat trick in his NHL debut.
Last updated
Derek Kenneth Stepan is a retired American professional ice hockey center who spent 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, and Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers selected him in the second round, 51st overall, during the 2008 NHL entry draft.
After being drafted, Stepan played for the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). He signed his first professional contract with the Rangers on July 1, 2010, skipping his junior and senior years of college. In his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, he scored a hat trick against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, making him the first Rangers rookie and only the fourth player in league history to achieve that feat in a debut.
Amateur
Stepan attended Shattuck-Saint Mary’s high school, where he recorded 81 points as a junior and 111 as a senior on the hockey team. He then played for Wisconsin’s college team in the WCHA.
Professional (2010–2023)
In the 2012–13 season, Stepan tied for the NHL lead with four short-handed points. He signed a two-year, $6.15 million contract with the Rangers on September 26, 2013, covering the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. On September 24, 2014, he broke his leg during a non-contact drill at practice. On May 13, 2015, he scored the overtime, series-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Capitals; the Rangers later lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
After the 2014–15 season, Stepan became a restricted free agent. The Rangers made a qualifying offer worth $5.2 million per year, which he rejected. He filed for salary arbitration on July 5, 2015, seeking at least $7.25 million per year. On July 27, 2015, just before his arbitration hearing, he agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract running through the 2020–21 season, making him the second-highest-paid Rangers forward behind Rick Nash.
On June 23, 2017, the Rangers traded Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes for the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft and defenseman Tony DeAngelo. In his first season with Arizona, he played all 82 games, scoring 14 goals and 42 assists. He was named an alternate captain for the Coyotes at the start of the 2017–18 season.
Lore & Background
Stepan attended high school at Shattuck-Saint Mary's, scoring 81 points during his junior year and 111 during his senior year. He then played for the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). After being drafted, he signed his first professional contract with the Rangers on July 1, 2010, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin.
In his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, he scored a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres, becoming the first rookie in Rangers history and the fourth player in NHL history to achieve that feat. He was selected for the 2011 NHL All Star roster and performed in the NHL SuperSkills competition. In the 2012–13 season, he finished tied for the NHL lead with four short-handed points. On September 26, 2013, he signed a two-year, $6.15 million contract.
On September 24, 2014, he suffered a broken leg in a non-contact drill during practice. On May 13, 2015, he scored the overtime and series-winning goal against the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After rejecting a qualifying offer, he filed for salary arbitration and on July 27, 2015, agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract, making him the second-highest-paid Rangers forward at the time behind Rick Nash.
Reader's Guide
Derek Stepan's significance lies in his historic NHL debut and his steady contributions as a center for the Rangers and subsequent teams. His hat trick in his first game remains a unique achievement in Rangers history, placing him among only four NHL players to accomplish the feat. Over his 13-season career, he played for four teams, including a trade from the Rangers to the Arizona Coyotes on June 23, 2017, along with goaltender Antti Raanta, in exchange for the seventh overall pick and defenseman Tony DeAngelo. He served as an alternate captain for the Coyotes and later played for the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes.
Internationally, he captained the United States to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championships, leading the tournament in scoring and earning an All-Star Team selection. He also played for the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Championship. After retiring on October 3, 2023, he became a player development coach for the Minnesota Wild. His career is marked by consistent production and key playoff moments, such as his Game 7 overtime winner against the Capitals.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2006–07 | Shattuck-Saint Mary's | HS-Prep | 63 | 38 | 32 | 70 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Shattuck-Saint Mary's | HS-Prep | 60 | 44 | 67 | 111 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 40 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 41 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011–12 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 22 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | KalPa | SM-l | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 2013–14 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 17 | 40 | 57 | 18 | 24 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | New York Rangers | NHL | 68 | 16 | 39 | 55 | 22 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 |
| 2015–16 | New York Rangers | NHL | 72 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | New York Rangers | NHL | 81 | 17 | 38 | 55 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2017–18 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 14 | 42 | 56 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 72 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 70 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 20 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 58 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 73 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 890 | 182 | 333 | 515 | 216 | 120 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 32 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | WJC | Gold | 7 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 |
| 2011 | United States | WC | 8th | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 2014 | United States | OG | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | United States | WCH | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Junior totals | 7 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 | |||
| Senior totals | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Derek Stepan (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Derek Stepan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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