PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - With the encouragement of his dad Kevin, Luke Stevens is now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.
The 23-year-old forward just graduated from Yale back in March and has now signed a contract with the Penguins’ AHL team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Luke was drafted back in 2015 by the Carolina Hurricane but decided not to sign.
"My dad was pushing towards Pittsburgh. When we finally got wind that I could sign here and be part of the organization, it was kind of a no-brainer from our end,” Stevens told Penguins.com.
When Kevin was with the Penguins again from 2000-2002, Luke would stake around the rink at times and played a little hockey with Penguins players while he was a toddler.
The Stevens’ lived in Peters Township when Kevin was with the organization and moved back to his native state of Massachusetts after he retired.
"Obviously he had a ton of success (in Pittsburgh), so that was the spot that we always would go back to," Luke said. "We have friends that still live there."
Kevin says his family are all Penguins fans.
"There's no real other teams. So for us, it was awesome. I think the biggest thing when someone is just starting out is to be in a great organization that develops players. I think ours is the best.
That's why getting this opportunity is a great opportunity for him."
Kevin currently works for the Penguins as a special assignment scout and was an integral part in the team’s first two Stanley Cup Championships back in 1991 and 1992.
Click here to read more about Luke’s journey.