Anaheim Ducks Sign Isac Lundestrom And Sam Steel To One-Year Contracts

Aug 6, 2021

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed centers Isac Lundestrom and Sam Steel to one-year, two-way contracts through the 2021-22 NHL season. 

Lundestrom, 21 (11/6/99), has collected 6-9=15 points and 16 PIM in 71 career games with the Ducks. The 6-0, 187-pound forward scored 6-3=9 points with 14 penalty minutes (PIM) in 41 games in the shortened 2020-21 season, establishing career-bests in points, goals, assists and games played. He scored his first career hat trick (3-0=3), Mar. 1 vs. St. Louis, becoming the second-youngest player in club history to score a hat trick at 21 years, 115 days) behind only Steel (21 years, 51 days on Mar. 26, 2019 at Vancouver, 3-0=3). He also scored his first NHL goal, Feb. 6 vs. San Jose.

Selected by Anaheim in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Lundestrom has tallied 6-21=27 points and six PIM in 55 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with San Diego. He also recorded three points (1-2=3) in seven Calder Cup Playoff contests.

A native of Gallivare, Sweden, Lundestrom has represented Sweden in numerous international tournaments, including the 2021 World Championship, consecutive World Junior Championships in 2018 (silver medal) and 2019, 2016 U-18 World Championship (silver) and 2015 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge (bronze).

Steel, 23 (2/3/98), has recorded 18-27=45 points and 36 PIM in 129 career games with the Ducks. The 5-11, 189-pound forward collected 6-6=12 points and eight PIM in 42 games in 2020-21, tying his career-best in goals (also 2018-19 and 2019-20). He co-led the NHL with the top FOW% (52.8) among players 23-and-younger (also Carolina’s Sebastian Aho).

Selected by Anaheim in the first round (30th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Steel scored 20-21=41 points in 53 AHL games with San Diego in 2018-19, leading Gulls rookies in goals and co-leading in scoring. He also had 6-7=13 points in 16 Calder Cup Playoff contest in 2019, tied for fourth among all rookies. He was named the 2017 Western Hockey League (WHL) Player of the Year and won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s top scorer after earning a CHL-leading 50-81=131 points with a +49 rating in 66 games with Regina in 2016-17. He also was named the 2018 Memorial Cup MVP, leading all skaters in points (2-11=13) and assists in five tournament games. 

The Ardrossan, Alberta native helped lead Canada to gold at the 2018 World Junior Championship, scoring 4-5=9 points in seven tournament games. He also earned gold at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial (1-2=3 points in four games) and appeared at the 2014 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.