DEREK STEPAN

Wisconsin

So. | F | Hastings, Minn.

The only Wisconsin freshmen this decade to record more than Derek Stepan's 33 points in 2008-09 were Dany Heatley, Joe Pavelski and Kyle Turris.

Key Statistics: Stepan is the top returning scorer for the Badgers, having finished second on the team offensively as a rookie. He notched 24 assists and 33 points, which placed him in the top four among WCHA rookies. He also filled a special teams role for Wisconsin during much of the season, scoring two shorthanded goals during one penalty kill versus North Dakota in March.

What He Does: New York Ranger fans might have been struck by a sense of déjà vu when the team called Stepan’s name in the summer of 2008, picking the natural scorer 51st overall in the NHL Draft. It was apparently part of a family tradition for the Stepan clan, as the Rangers picked Derek’s father Brad in the fifth round of the 1985 draft. Like all of the Badgers, Derek struggled a bit early in the 2008-09 season, but learned fast, and was the team’s hottest source of offense late in the year, leading the team with 20 points in Wisconsin’s final 20 games. The Badgers won four of their last five games and captured third place in the WCHA’s regular season and post-season, but just missed an invite to the NCAA tournament.

The Bigger Picture: While he was learning the game that now occupies so much of his life, Stepan admits that skating didn’t come naturally, and he needed extra work to develop the mobility needed to make him a complete player. Stepan also learned ways to capture and control the puck without being the biggest or fastest skater. As his skating skills grew, his self-taught puck-control abilities became that much more effective. Along with much of his Wisconsin team, Stepan spent a good portion of the summer in Madison, working hard on and off the ice to improve strength and stamina. Another part of his summer was spent in Lake Placid, attending the training camp and tryouts for Team USA’s entry at the 2010 World Junior Championship. With an extra season of skill development under his belt, Stepan is working toward spending a holiday break in Saskatchewan and one April weekend in Detroit.

Stepan on the abrupt end to his freshman season with the Badgers: “Everybody had a crappy feeling in our stomachs and a crappy taste in our mouths knowing it was over, and how close we were. You win one of those games in overtime or hit an empty-netter here or there and we’d be in (the NCAA tournament). So I think you’ll see a pretty detail-oriented hockey team this season.”