Derek Stepan

Derek Stepan (born June 18, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and enrolled in August 2008 as a freshman for the Wisconsin Badgers of the WCHA. On July 1, 2010, he signed his first professional contract with the Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin. On October 9, 2010, he became the first player in Rangers history and the fourth in NHL history to score a hat trick in his NHL debut.

Personal life
Derek was born into a hockey family, as his father Brad was also a draft pick of the Rangers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Showing an excellence for hockey as a young age, he was fortunate enough to land a spot on the roster of the prestigious Shattuck-Saint Mary's (SSM) hockey team. SSM had rostered future NHL All-Stars such as Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews. At the powerhouse hockey team, he scored 81 points in his junior season. He followed that up with 111 points (44 goals and 67 assists) in his senior season, leading the team and closing out a very successful prep career.

International play
At the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championships, he was the captain of the United States team and led the tournament in scoring with four goals and ten assists in seven games, leading to an All-Star Team selection. He captained the United States to win their second gold medal ever by defeating Canada in overtime.

Stepan joined the United States men's national team to play at the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, playing with Ranger teammate Ryan McDonagh and Ranger prospect Chris Kreider.

New York Rangers
After a strong training camp and preseason, Stepan made the jump from Wisconsin to the Rangers. Stepan scored a hat-trick in his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, the first rookie in Rangers history to do so, en route to a 6-3 victory. He is only the fourth player in NHL history to score a hat trick in his debut, joining Alex Smart of the Montreal Canadiens (January 14, 1943), Réal Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques (October 10, 1979), and Fabian Brunnström of the Dallas Stars (October 15, 2008). Derek was announced part of the 2011 NHL All Star roster on January 11, 2011 and played in Honda NHL SuperSkills on January 29, 2011.

Trivia

 * Derek is one of the few players to play every game in both of their first 2 seasons.

Awards

 * Won a World Junior gold medal with Team USA in 2010.
 * Named to the World Junior All-Star Team in 2010.
 * Won the 2010 Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award, given to the best Rangers rookie in training camp.