Steen says recovery from shoulder surgery ahead of schedule
Alexander Steen will miss the World Cup of Hockey, but he's doing fine.
The St. Louis Blues forward took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to give the world an update after he was replaced on Team Sweden by Rickard Rakell.
Shoulder is doing great and ahead of timetable. Made a push but all involved in World Cup decision agreed it simply hadn't had enough time.
— Alexander Steen (@Steener20) August 26, 2016
Steen had shoulder surgery in June and remains an integral part of the Blues' core.
My focus is on Oct 12 and bringing our club and passionate fans success! #teamstl #lesgo
— Alexander Steen (@Steener20) August 26, 2016
The 32-year-old had 17 goals and 52 points (including a career-high 19 assists on the power play) in 67 games in 2015-16. It was the third straight season he hit the 50-point mark, and fourth overall. He played 20:22 per game - the highest average of his career.
Originally drafted 11th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002, the Blues acquired Steen (and defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo) in a trade that sent Lee Stempniak north. It's fair to say the Blues won that one.