For years, Boston Bruins fans have heard how impressive Oskar Steen has looked in training camp.
Now, there's an opportunity to see him in NHL game action.
When the Bruins meet the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Steen will be making his NHL debut. Added to the taxi squad over the weekend, the 23-year-old will skate on the third line with Nick Ritchie as the left winger and Charlie Coyle as the center.
The 2016 sixth-rounder, who measures in at 5-foot-9, 188 pounds, is in just his second pro season, amassing 10 goals and 21 assist across 72 AHL games since last season.
Though he'll start on the wing Tuesday, Steen is a natural center. It'll be interesting to see how he fits on his line, as he's a more natural playmaker than shooter. So too, obviously, is Charlie Coyle, so the key will be ensuring neither defers too much. Steen was centering a line with Paul Carey and Anton Blidh, so he has been in a role before where he has to play a leading role in creating offense
But Steen could be a Karson Kuhlman-type. He's a fantastic skater and plays a high-energy style. The Swede hunts pucks well, so a Ritchie-Coyle-Steen unit could be a really solid possession line.
Regardless of point production, one thing the Bruins need is jump, and they can count on Steen to provide that. The onus shouldn't be on him to miraculously make Boston a better 5-on-5 scoring team, but they should be able to rely on him to provide a jolt, track down pucks and make plays happen. Ritchie and Coyle are capable players, so perhaps the injection of high-energy youth can jumpstart them.
Regardless, not a lot of sixth-rounders make it to the NHL, so Steen already is a success story of sorts. Let's see if he can find a way to stick around.
