“He’s the same person. It’s funny, his older brother, I played with him for two years at Notre Dame, and he was well-liked around the room and an awesome guy to have,” Peeke said. “When his younger brother was coming in, there were high expectations to live up to the Steeves name. But he was awesome. He fit in right away, worked hard, put his head down as a freshman and had a great personality, too.”
Steeves’ success with the Bruins now is not exactly a surprise to Peeke.
“He played good minutes for us and scored a lot of timely goals for us in college. The scoring was always there,” Peeke said. “And obviously, when you turn pro, you have to fight and claw your way through to get to the NHL – whether that’s being more physical, scoring goals, everyone kind of has different roles. To see him be able to play both, it speaks a lot to the type of player [he is].”
Steeves has put in time behind the scenes to build his confidence and NHL readiness. Head coach Marco Sturm – who has been able to use Steeves up and down the lineup, in different situations – has taken note of his pure love for the game.
“I think he’s a hockey nerd,” Sturm said. “He knows what’s going on. He follows hockey; he knows all the players. He’s got a pretty good understanding in general about the league and the game.”
Steeves agreed with his coach’s assessment; he doesn’t turn his hockey mind off very often, he said. It is partially because he wants to be the best version of himself, in sport and in life.
“I’m really the same way with kind of everything, even when I was in school – I just want to do really well, and I don’t want to leave a stone unturned with my preparation,” Steeves said. “Maybe it is insecurity or just how I am, but I don’t feel like I am the most naturally talented person ever. Everyone works hard in the NHL, but there’s also so many here who are just so gifted and talented on the ice. For me, I feel like I am not that. I think I am a good goalscorer, but I’ve worked at that.”
Part of that preparation is mental for Steeves. He consistently does visualization practices and breath work to get his mind ready for the demands of the NHL. He also watches a lot of video.
“Various things to kind of ramp myself up for a game. To me, it’s just having a routine that tells your body and mind that it’s time to perform,” Steeves said. “Like most guys, I think guys are always looking for an edge in something that’s going to help them perform.”
It has been working for Steeves as of late. Those details have gotten him to where he is with the Bruins. While a lot changed ahead of Steeves’ 26th birthday, he is committed to remaining grounded in his same process.
“I’m not thinking about playing a different way or anything like that,” Steeves said. “Just trusting who I am and being thankful for the opportunity. Good things will follow.”