Backcheck: Lee Stempniak

Lee Stempniak came to Dartmouth an 18-year-old from Western New York, offensively skilled but undrafted – and he wasn’t selected after his freshman year, either.

At 19, after leading the Big Green in scoring as a sophomore, St. Louis snatched him up in the NHL Draft. He continued to build his skills, his strength and his all-around game, and by the time he graduated from Dartmouth, Stempniak jumped right to the NHL.

Now in his seventh year in the league, he has scored at least 19 goals three times, hitting a career high of 28 in 2009-10. Stempniak is now in his first year with the Calgary Flames, and College Hockey, Inc. caught up with him just prior to him recording his second career hat trick last Saturday night.