Ardrossan hockey player Sam Steel is excited to get going in his new NHL home.
The 25-year-old forward recently signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars, a team Steel views as a Stanley Cup contender.
"They are obviously a really good team, you see what they have done in the last few years, and it seems like they are close to achieving the ultimate goal," said Steel. "It's an exciting feeling knowing you are going to an organization that is highly regarded and is a contender."
Being from the area, there was some speculation heading into free agency whether or not Steel would opt to play closer to home, perhaps with the Edmonton Oilers.
He says that Dallas was a team that was on his radar even before the market opened up on July 1.
"Last year there was a little bit of interest [from Dallas] and it obviously went a different way last year," said Steel. "They reached out as soon as the market opened up and I kind of jumped right on it."
This was the second straight summer that Steel was an unrestricted free agent, leaving him available to sign with any of the league's 32 teams. While last year drug on a bit, not signing a deal until August 30, nearly two months after the market opened, Steel and his agent were determined to get a deal done quick.
"This time it was nice getting it done within the first hour really," said Steel. "It was a little bit less stressful, and I was just happy to be able to go to an organization like Dallas."
Though he will be playing in the lone star state next season, Steel hasn't lost sight of his rural Alberta roots.
"You dream of making it to the NHL and when you're coming from a rural area outside the city it always seems a little far out of reach," said Steel. "Representing Ardrossan, Sherwood Park, and Strathcona [County], it's a big honour for sure."
Steel is back home for the summer in Sherwood Park and will head to Dallas in September for training camp.