The Steelheads first trade of the off-season should bring more speed and scoring depth to Idaho this season in the person of Steven McParland. The rookie in 2016-17 put up big numbers while helping to lead the South Carolina Stingrays to a Kelly Cup Final, and also grabbed some AHL attention along the way.
Let’s look closer at some of the big numbers on Steven’s resume:
44 – McParland totaled 44 points over four years at Providence College, a span of 129 games. His first full professional season was much more explosive with 49 points in just 65 games, 48 points with the Stingrays and another assist in the AHL with Chicago. That’s a pace of .75 points per game compared to .34 points per game in college.
7 – Steven scored seven goals in the playoffs, tied for third-most among ECHL rookies. His 11 points in the playoffs ranked eighth among first-year players. Three of McParland’s playoff goals came in the Final, a four-game series against the Colorado Eagles.
48 – McParland’s 48 points in the ECHL last season were tied with another rookie, and a player he may see ice time with this season. McParland was tied for 14th in rookie scoring, matching Steelheads forward Will Merchant.
4 – With speed and smarts comes shorthanded danger, and McParland was a threat when down a man in South Carolina. Steven had two shorthanded goals and two shorthanded assists, factoring in on half of the Stingrays’ shorthanded offense last season.
3 – McParland had four 3-point games last season, two of them multi-goal games coming on the road.
10 – Steven had a ten-game points streak late last season, getting on the sheet in every game between February 27th and March 25th. In that ten-game span, McParland had five goals and 13 points. Expanding the calendar a bit further, McParland had ten goals and 21 points in a span of 17 games between January 28th and March 25th.
22 – McParland will likely miss playing at North Charleston Coliseum, where he had a great deal of success, but he’ll have another opportunity in March when the Steelheads visit South Carolina. In the meantime, fans should not worry about McParland’s work elsewhere on the map. The rookie netted 12 goals and 22 points last season in 31 games on the road, as well as four goals and six points in six games in Mountain Division buildings.
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