Steven Santini
Steven Santini | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 7, 1995 United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL for New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues; currently with Tampa Bay Lightning organization |
Steven Michael Santini (born March 7, 1995) is a professional ice hockey defenseman from the United States, currently rostered with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) and under contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). His previous NHL experience includes time with the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators. Santini played collegiate hockey at Boston College, competing in the NCAA Hockey East conference. He was selected 42nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Amateur
Santini initially attended John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, New York, before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to participate in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
As a youth player, he took part in the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing the New York Rangers minor ice hockey team.
Considered a top prospect projected for the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Santini spent 2011 to 2013 training with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships and was honored as the tournament’s best defenseman.
During his freshman year at Boston College, Santini secured a role as a top-four defenseman known for his physicality and dependable defensive play, contributing three goals and eleven points. He was named to Hockey East’s All-Rookie team and represented the United States at the 2014 World Junior Championships.
In his second collegiate season, Santini formed a defensive pairing with freshman Noah Hanifin as one of Boston College’s leading defensemen but missed sixteen games due to wrist surgery. Upon returning after the hiatus, he continued to refine his defensive responsibilities.
In his junior year, Santini tallied one goal alongside nineteen assists, playing a key role in Boston College’s advancement to the Frozen Four before being eliminated by Quinnipiac.
Professional
On April 9, 2016, Santini signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils and made his NHL debut that same day against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He notched his first NHL point on January 2, 2017, during a 3-0 victory over the Boston Bruins and scored his inaugural NHL goal on January 12, 2017, facing the Edmonton Oilers.
As a restricted free agent, Santini inked a three-year deal worth $4.25 million with the Devils on August 14, 2018. On June 22, 2019, he was traded to the Nashville Predators alongside prospect Jérémy Davies and draft picks in exchange for P. K. Subban. Throughout the 2019–20 season, Santini appeared in only two games for Nashville while spending most of his time with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
The Predators placed Santini on unconditional waivers for contract buyout on October 7, 2020. Shortly thereafter, on October 10, he agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues.
After three seasons within the Blues organization, Santini signed a one-year two-way contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2023. During that season, he played exclusively for their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, finishing second among defensemen with five goals and twenty points across sixty-four games.
Upon completing his tenure with the Kings, Santini secured a one-year two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1, 2024.
Personal life
Santini's grandfather, Bob, was a hockey coach at Mount Saint Michael Academy and established the Catholic High School Hockey League, which has since become part of New York's Catholic High School Athletic Association. His father, Steve, competed in college hockey for Maine, while his uncle, Rob, played at Iona. Later on, Steve and Rob launched Brewster Ice Arena in Brewster, New York, the very rink where Santini developed his hockey skills. Additionally, his three sisters attended John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.
As a devoted Catholic, Santini’s decision to attend Boston College was influenced in part by its Jesuit heritage.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Brewster Bulldogs | EmJHL | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | New York Apple Core | EJHL | 44 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 36 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 25 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Boston College | HE | 35 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Boston College | HE | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston College | HE | 41 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 38 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Albany Devils | AHL | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 36 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 21 | |||||||
| "2017–18 AHL season" | "Binghamton Devils" | "AHL" | "3"|"3"|"6"|"8" | |||||||||||
| "2018–19 NHL season" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "1"|"3"|"4"|"16" | |||||||||||
| "2018–19 AHL season" | "Binghamton Devils" | "AHL" | "0"|"0"|"0"|"0" | |||||||||||
| "2019–20 AHL season" | "Milwaukee Admirals" | "AHL" | "2"|"10"|"12"|"39" | |||||||||||
| "2019–20 NHL season" | "Nashville Predators" | "NHL" | "0"|"0"|"0"|"2" | |||||||||||
| "2020–21 AHL season" | "Utica Comets" | "AHL" | "1"|"1"|"2"|"4" | |||||||||||
| "2020–21 NHL season" | "St. Louis Blues" | "NHL" | "0"|"1"|"1"|"0" | |||||||||||
| "2021–22 AHL season" | "Springfield Thunderbirds" | "AHL" | "2"|'16'|'18'|'24' | |||||||||||
| '2021–22 NHL season' | 'St. Louis Blues' | 'NHL' | '—'|'—'|'—'|'—' | |||||||||||
| '2022–23 AHL season' | 'Springfield Thunderbirds' | 'AHL' | '2'|'8'|'10'|'32' | |||||||||||
| '2022–23 NHL season' | 'St. Louis Blues' | 'NHL' | '0'|'1'|'1'|'2' | |||||||||||
| '2023–24 AHL season' | 'Ontario Reign' | 'AHL' | '5'|'15'|'20'|'24' | |||||||||||
| '2024–25 AHL season' | 'Syracuse Crunch' | 'AHL' | '6'|'11'|'17'|'20' | |||||||||||
| '2024–25 NHL season' | 'Tampa Bay Lightning' | 'NHL' | '0'|'0'|'0'|'0' | |||||||||||
| NHL totals !124 !5 !18 !23 !57 !3 !0 !0 !0 !0 | ||||||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | United States | U17 | Template:Silver2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | |
| 2013 | United States | U18 | Template:Silver2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | United States | WJC | 5th place | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2016 | United States | WC | Fourth place | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award Title | Year Awarded | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate | ||
| All-Hockey East Rookie Team | 2013–14 | |
| Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman | 2015–16 | |
| International Ice Hockey Federation | ||
| Best Defenseman, IIHF World U18 Championship | 2013 | |