Steven Oleksy

Lore & Background

Oleksy grew up playing hockey in the metro Detroit area, starting with the Troy Sting AA team before moving to junior hockey in the Central States Hockey League with the Michigan Metro Jets. He later played in the NAHL with the Traverse City North Stars and earned a scholarship to Lake Superior State University, where he played three seasons of NCAA Division I college hockey. After graduating, he turned professional with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. He signed his first NHL contract with the Washington Capitals on March 4, 2013, and made his NHL debut the next day, registering an assist in a 4–3 comeback victory over the Boston Bruins. He was known to teammates as 'Binky,' a childhood nickname derived from needing a pacifier while sick in the hospital.

Reader's Guide

Oleksy's NHL career spanned parts of four seasons, primarily with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. He signed a three-year, two-way contract with the Capitals in March 2013 after 55 games with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he ranked third among AHL defensemen in penalty minutes. He left the Capitals as a free agent on July 1, 2015, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. As a member of the Penguins, he won the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2016, and after the game drank his first ever sip of alcohol out of the cup. He was later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 1, 2017, alongside Eric Fehr and a fourth-round pick, in exchange for Frank Corrado. After his NHL contract expired, he played in the ECHL and briefly in Europe with EHC Black Wings Linz of the EBEL. He returned to professional hockey in December 2025 with the Jacksonville Icemen. Off the ice, he married singer and businesswoman Brooke Hogan on June 8, 2022, and the couple have fraternal twins born January 15, 2025. He is also running for mayor in Edgewater, Volusia County, Florida.

Did You Know?

• Oleksy's jersey number was retired at L'Anse Creuse High School - North on May 13, 2014.
• He played one year of NJCAA college baseball at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan.
• He represented Team USA at the 2008 and 2009 IIHF Men's InLine Hockey World Championships.
• He was known as 'Binky' to his teammates, a childhood nickname from needing a pacifier while sick in the hospital.