Sam Steel of Sherwood Park, Alberta made a name for himself at the 2018 Memorial Cup at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. In only five games, Steel displayed the type of playmaking that made him the first round draft pick, 30th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks, in the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Steel had 11 assists in the tournament and tied a Memorial Cup record on Wednesday when he had five assists in one Memorial Cup game as the Regina Pats defeated the Swift Current Broncos 6-5. Steel tied Dan Hodgson of Fort Vermilion, Alberta, who had five assists for the Prince Albert Raiders in an 8-6 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at the 1985 Memorial Cup in Drummondville, Quebec and Jonathan Drouin of Sainte-Agathes-des-Monts, Quebec, who had five assists for the Halifax Mooseheads in a 6-4 win over the Portland Winterhawks at the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Steel also led the tournament in scoring with 13 points, as he notched two goals and was the 2018 Memorial Cup most valuable player. Steel also had 12 shots on goal and 81 faceoff wins. Steel’s second goal was very significant because it was the game winning goal for Regina in their 4-2 semifinal win over the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday. Also in Regina’s win over Hamilton, Steel had an assist as he set up Jake Leschyshyn of Grasswood, Saskatchewan, who scored an empty net insurance goal with five seconds left in the third period.
