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Steven Ellis

Steven Ellis

@stevenpellis.ca

3K followers 180 following 2.2K posts

Associate Editor and Prospect Analyst for Daily Faceoff. Leafs stories for The Leafs Nation. Greatest iRacer ever.

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Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · Mar 18

Ever wondered what it's like to watch a full NHL game in virtual reality?

It's truly one of the most unique ways of experiencing the sport.

I tried it recently - and I shared my thoughts for @dailyfaceoff.bsky.social:

dailyfaceoff.com/whats-it-lik...

What it’s like to watch an NHL game in virtual reality

It’s a unique experience, but it isn’t for the faint of heart.

dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 1d

Kicking off my 2026 #NHLDraft Notebook series with @dailyfaceoff.bsky.social by looking at 10 CHL stars off to hot starts:

Chase Reid
JP Hurlbert
Xavier Villeneuve
Yegor Shilov
Nikita Klepov
Alexei Vlasov
Noah Kosick
Caleb Malhotra
Ethan Belchetz
Parker Snell

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nh...

2026 NHL Draft Notebook: 10 CHLers off to huge starts

Chase Reid, Ethan Belchetz and Xavier Villeneuve are among the top names you need to know early in the season.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 2d

I looked at five NHLers off to big starts despite their teams suffering injuries to notable players.

Among them, Shane Pinto is red-hot right now:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/five-nh... #GoSensGo, #NHLJets, #SabreHood, #GoAvsGo #TimeToHunt

Five NHLers rescuing their teams from injury trouble early this season

From veterans to young guns getting the best opportunities of their lives, these five have kept the good times flowing this season.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 3d

Spencer Knight is having the best start of his NHL career.

He had his ups and downs to get to this point, but he's proving right now what he's capable of with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He's one of the top goalies this season so far:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/spencer...

Blackhawks’ Spencer Knight was once a top NHL prospect – now, he’s living up to expectations

Knight boasts some of the top stats of any NHL goaltender early in the season, giving the Hawks a chance...

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 5d

I took a look at 5 under-the-radar prospects you need to know in @thewhl.bsky.social.

- David Lewandowski
- Shea Busch
- Bryce Pickford
- Jacob Kvasnicka
- Miroslav Holinka

NHL Prospect Roundup: Five under-the-radar early standouts from the WHL

Many didn't believe in these five at one point – but it's hard to ignore them now.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 5d

My early reactions to the NHL Central Scouting's initial watch list.

Which lower-ranked guys do I like? Any overagers you need to know? What about the goalies?

For @dailyfaceoff.bsky.social:

dailyfaceoff.com/top-takeaway...

Top takeaways from NHL Central Scouting’s 2026 Draft watch list

Who was ranked too low? Who are some of the potential sleepers? Our draft analyst has you covered.

dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 8d

Ryan Lin is making waves in the WHL.

He's one of the top defenders for the 2026 #NHLDraft, with his skill outweighing his smaller frame:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nh...

2026 NHL Draft’s Ryan Lin might be small, but his impact isn’t

Listed at 5-foot-11, Lin doesn't have ideal NHL size. But he makes up for it in so many different ways.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 11d

The Canadiens acquired Zack Bolduc over the offseason.

So far, he has been one of Montreal's most dangerous forwards, scoring in all three of his games this season.

Could he be their secret weapon?

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/could-z...

Could Zack Bolduc be exactly what the Canadiens needed?

After coming over from St. Louis during the offseason, Bolduc has been Montreal's most impressive scorer so far.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 12d

A new season of my Daily Faceoff NHL Prospect Roundup is here.

I looked at five under-the-radar NHL draft picks playing in the OHL who deserve your attention:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-pro...

NHL Prospect Roundup: Five under-the-radar early standouts from the OHL

These five might not get a ton of major national attention, but they are making a name for themselves early in 2025-26.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 15d

👊

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 15d

I looked at one rookie to watch on every NHL team.

From guys playing big roles right away to others proving they can handle certain roles, there's a lot to keep an eye on in 2025-26.

For @dailyfaceoff.bsky.social:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/one-roo...

One rookie to watch on all 32 NHL teams in 2025-26

Breaking down everyone from the can’t-miss stars to the grinders to the “old” rookies,

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 16d

Matias Maccelli spent massive chunks of 2024-25 as a healthy scratch just one year after registering 57 points.

Now in Toronto, can he find his game again and be what the team needs on the top line?

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/will-ma...

Can Matias Maccelli be the Maple Leafs’ secret weapon?

Two years removed from a 57-point campaign, Maccelli is hoping to get his groove back in Toronto.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 17d

For those who follow prospects, I'll be contributing to the WHL Western Front on Victory Plus (streaming home for the WHL, Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars) all season long.

Chatting prospects, teams and everything else with Frank Seravalli:

victoryplus.com/share/episod...

Victory+ - WHLWesternFront

victoryplus.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 18d

Five players taken in the 2025 #NHLDraft are expected to make their debuts this week.

I broke it all down:

dailyfaceoff.com/five-2025-nh...

Five 2025 NHL Draft picks set to make NHL season debuts

All five players were taken in the top 15 back in June.

dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 18d

The Calder Trophy race is going to be wild this year.

I took a look at 20 of the top candidates to win the coveted rookie of the year award:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-20-...

Top 20 NHL Calder Trophy candidates for 2025-26

Last year's race came down to top prospects from Calgary and Montreal. Don't be surprised if that happens again.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 19d

There were plenty of quality rookie performances from the 2025-26 NHL preseason.

So I looked at 10 that stood out:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-10-...

Top 10 rookie standouts from the 2025-26 NHL preseason

Braeden Cootes, Tij Iginla and Owen Beck were among the most notable youngsters over the past few weeks.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 23d

If you want to play hockey this fall/winter but don't want to spend much money, I suggest looking into your local ball hockey league.

Equipment is cheap (often doesn't require much) and league fees can be as low as $60 (or you can even play pickup for free).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3j2...

Mega Ball Hockey Save Compilation

YouTube video by Steven Ellis

www.youtube.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 23d

I projected Olympic rosters for seven teams - Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Plenty of NHLers across these "underdog" teams:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-ol...

2026 Olympics: Early roster projections for the seven ‘underdog’ teams

Could a potential medal spoiler come out of this group of smaller nations?

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Reposted by Steven Ellis

Brad Elliott Schlossman @schlossmangf.bsky.social · 25d

Coaches were given a sheet that showed how the NPI rankings would look vs. Pairwise with different dials. I don't the 1/1 postseason home/away on the sheet. But with everything else, the NCAA field would have been exactly the same as it was with Pairwise. This isn't a huge change.

Brad Elliott Schlossman @schlossmangf.bsky.social · 26d

NPI is replacing Pairwise this season in men's hockey. Here are the dials:

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 25d

I looked at 20 of the top NHL prospects to watch in the NCAA this year.

Michael Hage, Cole Hutson, Trey Augustine, Porter Martone and many more:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-20-...

Top 20 NHL-affiliated prospects to watch in the NCAA in 2025-26

Many of the NHL's top prospects are headed to college this year, including Porter Martone, James Hagens and Cole Eiserman.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 26d

New #NHLDraft rankings time.

Top 40:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nh...

2026 NHL Draft Rankings: Preseason top 40

McKenna leads the way, but the first round looks deep.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 28d

Oopsie

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 28d

Made a couple of old school saves tonight

My team scored right after the second save

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · 29d

It's fun to get hyped over a prospect's performance during the NHL preseason.

It's understandable. Everyone wants to be excited.

But the top preseason rookies typically don't continue their hot streaks once the regular season starts:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/dont-lo...

Don’t look too deeply into NHL rookie preseason performances

It's all fun and games at this time of year – but a strong performance in October often doesn't translate when it matters.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · Sep 25

I looked at 10 NHL forwards and defenders who missed significant time last year, but are looking to boucne back in 2025-26:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/injury-...

Top 10 NHL players looking to bounce back from injuries in 2025-26

Nobody wants to watch from the sidelines – and these 10 players know that better than anyone.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Steven Ellis @stevenpellis.ca · Sep 24

The CHL season is in full swing.

So get into it by checking out 20 of the top NHL prospects to watch between the OHL, WHL and QMJHL:

www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-20-...

Top 20 NHL-affiliated prospects to watch in the CHL in 2025-26

While many top prospects have gone south of the border, there’s no shortage of quality kids up north.

www.dailyfaceoff.com