Steven Stamkos: Profile of the Tampa Bay Lightning Superstar

With the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning chose forward Steven Stamkos.

At the time, there weren’t any questions on who the Lightning were taking. The decision was easy, and the results have been astounding.

But the hype over Steven Stamkos started well before the Lightning took him first in 2008.

Stamkos was drafted No. 1 overall in 2006 by the OHL’s (Ontario Hockey League) Sarnia Sting. In Stamkos’ 124 games in the OHL, he scored 100 goals and had 97 assists, and he was the most highly touted prospect coming out in 2008.

The new ownership in Tampa Bay put a new face on their franchise with Steven Stamkos, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Stamkos is a goal-scoring machine. From the footage of him playing in juniors and the OHL to what we see today in the NHL, Stamkos has shown he has sniper abilities that are unmatched. Stamkos has the ability to pick a corner or put the puck over a pad and under a glove, and that is what it takes to be a great goal scorer in the league.

With 51 goals last season, Stamkos joins teammate Vincent Lecavalier as the only Tampa Bay Lightning players to score at least 50 goals in a season. Stamkos also tied Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals last year; therefore the “Rocket” Richard Trophy for league leader in goals was awarded to both players.

That was supposed to be his sophomore slump.

Now he is three years into his professional career, and the team around him offensively is better. He worked hard through training camp and got himself in great shape physically and mentally to handle the increased pressure of being a NHL star.

In 13 games this season, Stamkos has 11 goals and 11 assists and has been the most impressive player through the first month of the season.

He always seems to be in the best possible position to make a smart play for the team and is as willing to move the puck around as he is to blast it on net. Whether he takes the shot or moves it along unselfishly, he makes everyone around him better.

I knew he could score coming into the league; that wasn’t a question. The question was whether or not he could handle all the other facets of the game a top line center has to be good at. 

Stamkos has handled himself well in the faceoff circle, winning just under 50 percent of the faceoffs he has taken this year. He hasn’t had to handle a ton of key faceoffs, but it’s good to see that he is holding his own in the opportunities he is given. As he bulks up over time, he should become a force in the faceoff circle like he has become a force in every aspect of his game he has tried to improve on.

Stamkos is more defensively sound than I could have ever imagined. I am not saying he is a stellar two-way player, but for a 50-goal scorer, he’s pretty good. He leads the Lightning in plus-minus with a plus-seven, and that’s not just because of his point pace either.

I know that Stamkos isn’t as physical as Alexander Ovechkin, but that doesn’t mean he is afraid to hit someone. He has 11 hits this season, which is four more than Lightning defenseman Randy Jones. A forward who isn’t afraid to take the body will earn the opposition's respect and force them to give him space—and space, my friends, is all Stamkos needs.

Steven Stamkos' future is bright, not just for this year, but for his career as well. He is young and is as talented as any player we have in the NHL today. If Steve Yzerman, GM for the Lightning, can build a solid team around Stamkos, the team could make a serious push for a Stanley Cup.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Lightning were parading Lord Stanley’s Cup around sunny Tampa Bay, Florida.

Bold Prediction

Steven Stamkos Final Line for 2010-2011

*Prediction*

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	Power-Play Points	Game-Winning Goals
79	57	50	107	+9	46	9