Around this time last year, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and owner Tom Stillman announced that Alex Steen would sign a contract extension wherein he would serve as assistant GM for two years before taking over as general manager with Armstrong stepping down.
With Steen set to transition into his new role around this time next year, let's take a look back at his involvement with hockey: as a prospect, player, pupil, and his potential.
Alex Steen: The prospect
Steen spent his early years in hockey bouncing between different Swedish junior leagues. The bulk of his games before being drafted came in the junior leagues for the Allsvensken, SuperElit, and Elitserien.
Steen was drafted in 2002 by the Toronto Maple Leafs 24th overall. As a prospect, he had shown an impressive ability to score; his finishing was easily his best trait.
In his draft year, he scored 21 goals in 23 games played in the J20 SuperElit, a very impressive mark. However, he finished the year playing in the Elitserien, where he did not score a goal and only managed 3 points playing a more limited role against much tougher competition.
This caused his draft stock to fall, all the way to 24th when the Toronto Maple Leafs finally stopped the skid for a talented prospect with a lot to prove.
Alex Steen: The player
Steen ended up playing 4 seasons for the Maple Leafs, debuting as a 21-year old in 2005. In his four seasons with the Maple Leafs, Steen accrued 126 points and 50 goals in 253 games played.
Steen was more than living up to his draft pedigree and ability, proving to be an effective enough goal scorer at his age but much more dynamic offensively than original reports suggested.
There was no doubt at the time of his trade to St. Louis that he was an ascending young player, which made the move to deal him all the more surprising.
At the 2009 trade deadline, Toronto had their eyes set on Lee Stempniak, a young forward for the Blues who was coming off a 27-goal campaign as a 23-year old. For Toronto, they wanted the proven finishing ability of Stempniak over the potential of Steen and shipped him off with defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo to St. Louis.
Steen would spend the rest of his career wearing the blue note: 12 seasons, 765 games, 195 goals, 496 points.
By the time he hung up his skates, this is where he ranked in all of Blues franchise history: 6th in points (496) and assists (301), 10th in goals (195), and 4th in games played (765).
Steen retired a Blues legend and potentially a top-10 Blues player all-time. He gave us fans so many memorable moments and highlights throughout his career, culminating in being a part of that Stanley Cup-winning team. My personal favorite Steen memory is his iconic OT goal against LA in the 2013 first round (with a legendary call from Darren Pang to match):
Alex Steen: The pupil
Following his retirement in late 2020, Steen very quickly found his way back in the Blues organization. He began working as an international scout in Europe, focused in his home country of Sweden, and kept in close contact with Doug Armstrong.
Steen was then officially brought onto the team as a scout in 2023 after spending the last several years unofficially helping and working with the organization to identify and acquire promising European talent.
It was this initiative and evident love for the game that inspired Doug Armstrong to bring Steen in to officially work with him closely, and their relationship developed quickly.
In their press conference announcing the succession plan for Steen to take over, Doug Armstrong mentioned that through this relationship it became evident very early on that Steen had what it took to follow in his own legacy and become the next general manager of the St. Louis Blues.
While we may not know exactly when these thoughts began for Armstrong, it's clear Steen's dedication for Blues hockey even past his playing career as well as his hockey mind excited the lead talent evaluator for the organization, leading him to selecting Steen as his successor.
Alex Steen: The potential
Alex Steen has had a storied life with hockey, and the next chapter in his book is only just about to begin.
Steen will inherit a promising young Blues team thanks to the job done by Doug Armstrong, meaning everything is set up for this to be a relatively seamless transition.
I discussed what Steen will need to accomplish to set this team up for success on the most recent episode of my podcast, the Note News podcast, which you can find here:
It is clear that Doug Armstrong selected Alex Steen as his successor because he saw the promise and potential of someone who could carry on his legacy. Steen earned the trust of the Blues brass very quickly, demonstrating the potential that he has for this role. He has the full support of the Blues organization behind him and everything set up for him to become the next great Blues general manager.
The next chapter in Alex Steen's book of Blues hockey is setting up to be a very promising and exciting one.