By Matt Stefano
Another Soo Thunderbirds graduate is heading to the pros!
The American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies have announced today that they signed former Soo Thunderbirds forward Keegan Stevenson to an amateur tryout.
Stevenson, who turned 20 years old back on New Year’s Eve, played one season with the Soo Thunderbirds in 2016-2017, where he put up 12 goals and 35 points in 54 regular season games.
He also shared the Joey Mancuso Award for the team’s Rookie of the Year with former teammate Wyatt Villalta, who is now a member of the Sault College Cougars hockey club.
After spending one season with the Soo Thunderbirds, Stevenson then went on to play with the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm in the 2017-2018 season, where he scored 5 goals and set up 5 others in 61 regular season games.
Despite going goalless in his first 31 games as an OHLer, Stevenson then ended up scoring his first Ontario Hockey League goal against his hometown Soo Greyhounds on January 7th, 2018 in a 7-3 loss to the Hounds at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph.
In his second season with the Storm in 2018-2019, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario product scored 19 times and set up 15 others in 55 regular season games and helped the Storm capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL playoff champions).
In 2019, Stevenson was also the recipient of the team’s Most Improved Player Award.
Following his second season with the Guelph Storm, Stevenson then attended the Vancouver Canucks 2019 Development Camp as a free agent.
In his third season with the Storm in 2019-2020, the Sooite forward skated in 63 regular season games and set career-highs in goals (21), assists (22), points (43) and penalty minutes (27).
Stevenson is the second Soo Thunderbirds graduate to sign an amateur tryout with an American Hockey League club this year, following Robert Calisti, who signed one with the Belleville Senators this past Thursday.
(Photo credit to James Egan’s Sports Photography)
