New Jersey Devils acquire forward Ben Steves Acquired from Florida Panthers for Forward Angus Cruickshankpart of the five-man agreement, also sent Evan Rodriguez and Jesper Boquist new jersey and goalie Jacob Markstrom to Florida.
Steves, a restricted free agent and an AHL All-Star in 2025-26, leads the Charlotte Checkers with 23 goals and 45 points in all 72 skates.
Steves, undrafted out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, signed with the University of Florida as a free agent on March 25, 2024, and totaled 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points in 140 games with Charlotte. He also had four goals and four assists in 21 playoff games, helping the Checkers reach the 2025 Calder Cup Finals.
Cruikshank played 60 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets in the 2025-26 season, scoring a team-leading 24 goals and a total of 346 points, while also scoring one goal in eight NHL games with New Jersey.
Cruikshank was drafted by Ottawa in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft and played in 262 AHL games with Utica and Belleville, totaling 101 goals and 84 assists for 185 points. He has scored 20 goals four times and was named a 2024 AHL All-Star.
Cruikshank has scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 29 career NHL games with the Senators and Devils.
