Amateur Stepan attended high school at
Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where he played on the hockey team. He scored 81 points during his junior year and 111 during his senior year at the school. He then attended the
University of Wisconsin, where he played for the
Badgers ice hockey team in the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
Professional (2010–2023) New York Rangers (2010–2017) On July 1, 2010, Stepan signed his first professional contract with the
New York Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin. He is only the fourth player in NHL history to have scored a hat-trick in his debut, joining
Alex Smart of the
Montreal Canadiens (January 14, 1943),
Réal Cloutier of the
Quebec Nordiques (October 10, 1979) and
Fabian Brunnström of the
Dallas Stars (October 15, 2008).
Auston Matthews of the
Toronto Maple Leafs later accomplished the feat with four goals (October 12, 2016). Stepan was selected as a member of the
2011 NHL All Star roster on January 11, 2011, and performed in the NHL SuperSkills competition on January 29, 2011. in October 2011 In the
2012–13 season, Stepan finished tied for the NHL lead with four
short-handed points. On September 26, 2013, Stepan signed a new two-year, $6.15 million contract with New York for the
2013–14 and
2014–15 seasons. On May 13, 2015, Stepan scored the overtime and series-winning goal against the
Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Rangers would eventually lose to the
Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Following the
2014–15 season, Stepan became a restricted free agent under the terms of the
NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The Rangers made him a
qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights. However, Stepan rejected the initial contract, which was worth $5.2 million per year. On July 5, 2015, Stepan filed for Salary Arbitration under the CBA, seeking at least $7.25 million per year. On the morning of July 27, 2015, just hours before his arbitration hearing was scheduled to occur, Stepan and the Rangers agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract lasting to the end of the 2020–21 season. Paying an average of $6.5 million annually, the contract made Stepan the second-highest-paid Rangers forward at the time behind
Rick Nash, who made $7.9 million per year.
Arizona Coyotes (2017–2020) On June 23, 2017, Stepan (along with goaltender
Antti Raanta) was traded to the
Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the seventh overall pick in the
2017 NHL entry draft and defenseman
Tony DeAngelo. Stepan scored 14 goals with 42 assists in his first season with the Coyotes, playing in all 82 games. He was named an
alternative captain for the Coyotes to begin the
2017–18 season. During the
2018–19 season, Stepan played in his 600th career NHL game on October 10, 2018, becoming the first player drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but who was not a first-rounder to reach that milestone.
Ottawa Senators (2020–2021) On December 26, 2020, after three seasons with the Coyotes, Stepan was traded to the
Ottawa Senators for a second-round pick in the
2021 NHL entry draft which originally belonged to the
Columbus Blue Jackets. In the pandemic delayed season, with the
divisional re-alignment restricting the Senators to remain in Canada, Stepan struggled to adapt away from family; while in the final year of his contract, the Senators looked to explore trade possibilities. Before a trade could be completed, after registering 1 goal and 6 points through 20 games, Stepan suffered a
dislocated shoulder injured in a 5-4
shootout victory over the
Montreal Canadiens on February 23, 2021. On March 2, 2021, it was announced that Stepan would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a damaged
labrum, effectively ending his tenure with the Senators.
Carolina Hurricanes (2021–2023) As an unrestricted free agent, Stepan signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with the
Carolina Hurricanes on July 31, 2021. Assuming a depth role among the Hurricanes forward group, Stepan tallied 9 goals and 19 points through 58 games in the season. Un-signed through the following summer, Stepan continued with the Hurricanes in initially accepting a professional tryout contract to participate in training camp and pre-season for the following season. After co-leading the team in goals through the pre-season, Stepan was signed to a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Hurricanes on October 11, 2022. ==Post-playing career==