Bruins rookie starting to score like he always believed he could

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Bruins rookie starting to score like he always believed he could

Matt Vautour · MassLive

Fri, Dec 5, 2025 ·

6 min read

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BOSTON — The Blues were expecting Morgan Geekie to shoot when Boston entered the zone on the rush early in the first period.

And why not? The Bruins forward is second in the NHL with 21 goals. When he shoots good things often happen.

So four St. Louis players moved toward Geekie as he skated in down the left wing.

Geekie had a shooting lane, but he saw Alex Steeves coming through the right wing circle alone. He slid the puck across and Steeves blasted a shot past Jordan Binnington .

The goal, which came 6:30 into the game, set the tone for the Bruins' decisive 5-2 victory on Thursday at TD Garden.

Steeves pumped his fist excitedly.

"I feel like I've been fighting tooth and nail for four years to be here," Steeves said. "To be on a line with a top goal scorer in the NHL and a world-class two-way center like (Elias) Lindholm , is really special for me. I want to make good on it."

With David Pastrnak listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, Steeves has been thriving in his first-line left wing spot. Steeves has six points, five goals and an assist in the Bruins' last five games.

"It's been fun. It's nice playing with world-class players up and down the lineup," Steeves said. "It's a little bit of learning, but trusting my abilities and getting to the right areas. Goal scoring is part of my identity. I love it."

That's quite the turnaround from the preseason.

Steeves, a 25-year-old free agent, signed with the Bruins to get the opportunity he never really got in Toronto . After Boston blew up its roster at the trade deadline, it went into the offseason needing scoring.

Steeves had 62 points in 59 games for the Toronto Marlies last year and his 36 goals were second in the AHL. But the Maple Leafs were among the NHL's top scoring teams in 2024-25 with a roster that featured five 25-goal scorers. They didn't need him.

Boston had no such logjam after trading Brad Marchand , Charlie Coyle , Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau . There were jobs to win, especially for guys who could score.

But the training camp Steeves had prepared so heavily for was frustrating. He didn't convert the chances he got and when the final roster was announced, he was headed to the AHL.

"I was chapped when I didn't make the team out of camp even though I prepared hard all summer," he said. "I worked my butt off to get back here."

Before he left, he told Sturm and Don Sweeney that he'd do what it would take to get back.

"A lot of guys say that," Sturm said. "But to Steeves' credit, a lot of guys don't do it. Some guys are good for one or two games, then they slow down a little bit. But the message I got from down there was very positive."

He had eight points in nine AHL games and impressed the coaching staff with his willingness to be physical and do more than score goals.

He was summoned to Boston on Nov. 8 when Elias Lindholm went on injured reserve. Steeves scored in his second game against his old franchise. But after the goal against Toronto, he went four games without a point and six without a goal.

Sturm moved him around the lineup, including a stint on the fourth line, and challenged him to be physical and impactful even when he wasn't scoring.

"As much as I want to be up in the lineup, there's going to be times when I'm not," Steeves said. "That was a chance to show that I can have a good attitude about it and be excited about it and just show that, to me, the most important part is playing in the NHL and being valuable to a team, regardless of where I am in the lineup."

Doing that kept him in the lineup long enough for his scoring touch to emerge. He had two goals, including the Bruins' first shorthanded goal of the season, against the Islanders in New York on Nov. 26.

He scored two more on Tuesday against the Red Wings and then had a goal and an assist against the Blues on Thursday night.

In addition to his own goal, he had an assist on Geekie's 21st of the season. Like Steeves, Geekie's path to success was neither easy nor straight. The Seattle Kraken let him go for nothing before Geekie began to find his groove in Boston. He's now on pace for over 50 goals.

That's a road map for a guy like Steeves.

"I've got a ways to go to be like him, but he's absolutely a source of inspiration," Steeves said. "Just watching his path in the American League, playing well, but not getting a chance at the lineup. It definitely gives me belief to keep pushing and trying to be better every day."

Geekie is rooting for him.

"He works his ass off every day. It's a tough position coming in for us," Geekie said. "To be able to produce like he has is a testament to him. You see the skill and the shots. It's super fun to see."

Steeves' success could force Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney to make a tough roster decision soon.

Steeves got his chance when the Bruins were missing several players up front. Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt , Viktor Arvidsson and now Pastrnak all missed games, opening up opportunities.

But now all but Pastrnak have returned. When he does, somebody is going to have to sit down. Steeves is developing an effective case for it to be somebody else who comes out of the lineup.

Steeves has been effective on the fourth line and the first line. He's killed penalties and worked on the power play. To go to Providence, he'd have to clear waivers, and he'd almost certainly be claimed by somebody.

But he's playing too well for the Bruins to do that anyway.

Sturm didn't commit to anything, but he sounds like he expects to keep finding a spot for Steeves.

"He can play any line. Any side," he said. "That's what I like about him. I brought him up and put him in a checking role and now look at him. He's a guy I trust. It's tough to get him out of the lineup. I'll tell you that."

Steeves says he's not thinking that far ahead.

"I'm a process player. For me if I focus on the right process, that will all sort itself out," said Steeves, who had a team-high six hits. "I want to be physical. I want to get to the right spots. I don't think I'm an NHL player when I'm not playing physical. I want to be physical every night. Good things happen when I do that."

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