At 27, Steve Oleksy finally stepped onto NHL ice-and left his first game with an assist. His debut for the Washington Capitals on March 5, 2013, came after college hockey, bus rides through the lower professional leagues and an AHL opportunity he had turned into something bigger.
There had been no draft-day announcement or fast track. The Michigan defenseman worked his way through the ECHL, IHL and AHL before Washington offered him a contract. He would finish with 73 NHL regular-season appearances and later share in Pittsburgh’s 2016 championship celebrations, though he did not play in that Stanley Cup run.
Michigan beginnings, with a baseball detour
Steven Andrew Oleksy was born on February 4, 1986, in Chesterfield Township, Michigan. Known as “Binky,” he grew up playing youth hockey with the Troy Sting before moving through the Michigan Metro Jets and the Traverse City North Stars.
Hockey was a family interest: his brother Daniel played at Oakland University. But Oleksy did not spend his entire sporting youth concentrating on one game. After graduating from L’Anse Creuse High School-North in 2004, he also played a year of junior-college baseball.
That detour fits a development path that was anything but direct. By the time he reached Lake Superior State University in 2006, he had experienced youth hockey, juniors and another college sport. He spent three seasons with the Lakers, building his game without the backing of an NHL draft selection.
He also represented the United States at the 2008 IIHF InLine World Championship, where the Americans finished fourth. It was an international appearance in inline hockey, distinct from his college and professional ice hockey career.
Learning the trade in the minor leagues
Oleksy’s professional career began with the Las Vegas Wranglers late in the 2008-09 ECHL season. The next few years brought stops with the IHL’s Port Huron Icehawks and the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
These were not brief preliminaries to a promised NHL job. They were the jobs available, and he had to make each one count.
His opportunity in the American Hockey League came with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2011-12. He then joined the Hershey Bears for 2012-13, placing him inside Washington’s development system.
At a listed 6 feet and 194 pounds, the right-shot defenseman played a confrontational game. He challenged opponents physically, defended teammates and was willing to fight. In 55 appearances for Hershey that season, he accumulated 151 penalty minutes, ranking third among AHL defensemen.
The penalty totals told only part of the story. To earn an NHL opportunity, he also had to show he could handle defensive assignments and move the puck reliably. Washington saw enough to offer a three-year, two-way contract on March 4, 2013.
A Washington debut worth the wait
One day after signing, Oleksy made his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins. He recorded an assist in Washington’s 4-3 overtime victory.
Five days later, on March 10, he scored his first NHL goal against the New York Rangers. After years spent climbing through different leagues, his first week in Washington supplied two milestones.
He finished the shortened 2012-13 regular season with nine points in 28 games and appeared in all seven games of the Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the Rangers. For a player who had begun the season on an AHL contract, it was a substantial change in responsibility.
His Washington career ultimately covered 62 regular-season games, producing three goals and 16 assists. He continued to spend time with Hershey, where his physical style and willingness to take difficult assignments remained central to his role.
Back home, the achievement carried weight. On May 13, 2014, L’Anse Creuse High School-North retired his jersey number, recognizing a former student whose route to the NHL had required considerable persistence.
Pittsburgh and a different kind of championship role
Oleksy signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in July 2015. Much of his work came with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL, but the move also put him alongside an organization preparing for a deep playoff run.
When Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016, he was part of the club’s reserve group rather than its playing lineup. He did not appear in an NHL regular-season or playoff game that season. That distinction matters: he shared in the championship experience, but he was not one of the defensemen taking shifts during the Cup run.
One celebration detail became especially memorable. According to contemporary reporting, Oleksy took his first taste of alcohol from the Stanley Cup.
He re-signed with Pittsburgh on July 1, 2016, on a one-year contract worth $575,000. During the following season, he played 11 NHL games and registered one assist.
Those appearances completed his NHL regular-season record: 73 games, three goals, 17 assists and 20 points. All three goals came with Washington.
Toronto, Anaheim and a season in Austria
On March 1, 2017, Pittsburgh traded Oleksy to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in a deal that also sent Eric Fehr and a draft pick to Toronto, with defenseman Frank Corrado going the other way. Oleksy played for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies rather than the Maple Leafs.
Another move followed that summer. On July 2, he signed a two-year, one-way contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
“One-way” described his salary arrangement, not a guaranteed NHL roster spot. His playing time came with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. He later returned to the Marlies in 2019.
The next chapter took him overseas to Black Wings Linz in Austria for the 2019-20 season. After years of moving around North American leagues, he was adapting to a different hockey setting.
He subsequently returned to the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears. Across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he recorded three goals and seven assists in 32 games.
The game he brought to the rink
Oleksy was not an offensive specialist. His NHL scoring totals make that clear, but they do not fully describe why teams employed him.
He offered a physical, right-shot option on defense and accepted the less comfortable parts of the job: contact around the net, confrontations after whistles and competition for a place in the lineup. His career repeatedly required him to establish himself with a new coaching staff.
The most revealing number may be his age at his NHL debut. Reaching the league at 27 meant arriving with several seasons of professional experience, rather than learning the trade as a highly promoted prospect.
Family, hockey businesses and life away from the rink
Oleksy began building something outside his playing career while still in college. In 2008, he founded East Side Elite Hockey, a Michigan-based hockey venture associated with summer competition and training.
It gave him a connection to the game beyond whichever club held his contract. As his playing career carried him elsewhere, the business kept a foothold in the hockey community where he had grown up.
He later founded Elite Coffee Co. in 2020, adding a business outside the sport.
His family life has also drawn public attention because of his relationship with Brooke Hogan, the singer and television personality. The couple married on June 8, 2022; their marriage was publicly reported in December 2023.
In a public announcement, Hogan shared that they welcomed twins, Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene, on January 15, 2025.
Those publicly shared details offer a glimpse of life away from hockey without requiring speculation about the couple’s private affairs. For a player whose working life involved frequent changes of city and team, family and business became another substantial part of his story.
FAQ
Which NHL teams did Steve Oleksy play for?
He played for the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. His NHL regular-season totals were 73 games, three goals and 17 assists.
Was he drafted into the NHL?
No. He reached the NHL as an undrafted player after college hockey and several seasons in the minor leagues.
Did he win the Stanley Cup?
He was part of Pittsburgh’s organization and reserve group during its 2016 championship run, but he did not play in the NHL regular season or playoffs that season.
Who is Steve Oleksy married to?
He married Brooke Hogan on June 8, 2022. The marriage became public through reporting in December 2023.
Does he have children?
Yes. Hogan publicly announced that their twins, Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene, were born on January 15, 2025.
What businesses did he found?
He founded East Side Elite Hockey in 2008 and Elite Coffee Co. in 2020.
Photo: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
