Florida Panthers sign forward Ben Steeves to two-year, entry-level contract

One of the top scorers in college hockey this past season is turning pro.

On Monday, the Florida Panthers announced they have signed forward Ben Steeves to a two-year, entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $950,000. The deal does not kick in until next season.

Steeves will join the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, for the remainder of the 2023-24 season under an ATO.

The 21-year-old joins the organization after two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where Steeves flourished as an underclassman. In 72 career games with the Bulldogs, Steeves amassed 45 goals and 17 assists, leading the team in goals in both seasons. This year, he potted 24 goals, tied for fifth-most in the NCAA. He was also second in the country in power-play goals (13) and fourth in game-winning goals (6).

Steeves was the team’s Hobey Baker Award nominee in each of his two campaigns, and was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team last season.

The Bedford, New Hampshire native went undrafted as an 18-year-old, but ended up finding success at the junior level, winning the Clark Cup with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League in 2022. That season, Steeves led the USHL in goals (39) and was named to the Third All-Star Team.

Steeves joins the pro ranks along with his brother, Alex, a former Notre Dame standout who also left school early to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization three years ago.

As a result of the signing, the Panthers have 28 standard player contracts on the books for next season, and 17 through the 2025-26 campaign. According to CapFriendly, Florida is projected to have just under $21 million in cap space for 2024-25. They have 14 players throughout the organization that set to be unrestricted free agents on July 1, and another 10 will be restricted free agents.