The New York Rangers' Derek Stepan has had an amazing season to date, and he has emerged as the team's No. 1 center. Stepan is having his best statistical season to date in the NHL, and the former University of Wisconsin Badger has been doing a lot of things to illustrate why he is the team's true No. 1 center.
Early on in his career it would be fair to say that Stepan needed to continue proving himself, but he has more than done that this season. What is impressive about Stepan is how he has progressed as a player, and that is evident in his numbers.
Season Goals Assists Points PPG ATOI FO%
2010-11 21 24 45 0.55 16:27 38.5
2011-12 17 34 51 0.62 18:57 46.1
2012-13 16 24 40 0.89 20:53 46.1
Stepan has increased his points-per-game average by .27 this season, and he is averaging about 2:00 minutes more per game. Everything about Stepan has improved since he made his NHL debut, but in order to take the next step, he will need to work on faceoffs.
A perfect example of this is the difference between Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Toews.
While both are elite centers, Toews is the better two-way player, a ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Urtz Jr.
New York Rangers’ Derek Stepan Has Emerged as Team’s No. 1 Center
April 22nd, 2013 by Tom Urtz Jr. Leave a reply »
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