Toronto Marlies forward Alex Steeves was named to the AHL’s second all-star team on Thursday afternoon, after a banner season.

Steeves led the Marlies and set career-highs with 36 goals and 61 points in only 58 games played. He finished second only to Matěj Blümel in goals, who recorded 39 tallies with the Texas Stars. Steeves also leads the AHL with eight game-winning goals, 13 power play goals, and sits third in shots with 219.

The 25-year-old is sure to play a key role for Toronto’s AHL affiliate as they look to qualify one of the final spots for the Calder Cup with just two games remaining. Both contests are against the Rochester Americans in a Friday-Saturday home-and-away, with the Marlies needing just one point to qualify one of the remaining spots in the North Division.

Steeves was called up for two stints in the NHL this season in November and February. Through seven games played, he had his first career NHL goal and added an assist, with both points coming on February 22nd when the Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3.

Since Toronto signed the University of Notre Dame alum from the NCAA free agent pool in 2021, he’s played in a handful of games each season. Prior to this year, he had seven other NHL appearances with one assist. He has been considered a top prospect for the Leafs for a number of years now, but has yet to really display his talents in all his opportunities so far. Still, he affirms that he believes he can be a consistent goalscorer at the highest level, and may become a key depth piece for the Leafs in years to come.

Named alongside Steeves on the Second All-Star Team were forwards John Leonard and Seth Griffith, defencemen Ethan Bear and Trevor Carrick, and Matt Murray of the Milwaukee Admirals (confusingly, not the one with the Leafs organization). Matěj Blümel, Matthew Peca, and Andrew Poturalski were the forwards for the First All-Star Team, with Jacob MacDonald and Derrick Pouliot being named the defencemen, and Michael DiPietro in net.