Steen, like most of the rest of the BC team, seemed a bit out of sorts at the WHL Cup but I was pleased to see a much more confident and consistent player in U18 play this month. Steen’s game is built around excellent skating abilities. He has a picture-perfect stride with smoothness in his feet, flexible hips, and a long stride that really maximizes his extension. He is really slippery along the wall and can look completely surrounded before weaseling his way out of the masses with possession. I’d love to see him add more strength to his frame as he can get pushed around a little at the net-front and I think it would unlock his ability to escape contact even more. Despite a lack of strength, Steen in no pushover on the defensive end as he is really savvy at using his long stick to disrupt and prevent the opposition from setting up comfortably. He was one of OHA’s most effective penalty killers with his ability to poke, prod, and get in passing lanes. That long stick and control when wielding it also served to clog up the neutral zone and force plays back into the offensive zone. Where Steen needs the most work in my eyes in his decision making when under duress. With open ice, he makes crisp tape to tape passes to teammates in stride but when under pressure he can throw possession away too easily. He isn’t a liability at this level because he can always lean on his feet to limit the number of scenarios where he’s truly locked into a need to make a pass out of pressure, but that’s not a viable crutch to lean on at higher levels.