Stepan attended high school at Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where he played on the hockey team. He scored 81 points during his junior year and 111 during his senior year at the school. He then attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played for the Badgers ice hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
On July 1, 2010, Stepan signed his first professional contract with the New York Rangers, forgoing his junior and senior years at Wisconsin. In Fall 2010, having attended the Rangers' training camp and playing for the team during the pre-season, Stepan made the transition from Wisconsin to the NHL. He scored a hat trick in his first NHL game on October 9, 2010, against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, becoming the first rookie in Rangers history to do so, en route to a 6–3 victory. He is only the fourth player in NHL history to have scored a hat-trick in his debut, joining Alex Smart of the Montreal Canadiens, Réal Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques and Fabian Brunnström of the Dallas Stars. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs later accomplished the feat with four goals. Stepan was selected as a member of the 2011 NHL All Star roster on January 11, 2011, and performed in the NHL SuperSkills competition on January 29, 2011. In the 2012–13 season, Stepan finished tied for the NHL lead with four short-handed points. On September 26, 2013, Stepan signed a new two-year, $6.15 million contract with New York for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. On September 24, 2014 Stepan suffered a broken leg in a non-contact drill during a Rangers practice. On May 13, 2015, Stepan scored the overtime and series winning goal against the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Rangers would eventually lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Following the 2014–15 season, Stepan became a restricted free agent under the terms of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Rangers made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights. However, Stepan rejected the initial contract, which was worth $5.2 million per year. On July 5, 2015, Stepan filed for Salary Arbitration under the CBA, seeking at least $7.25 million per year. On the morning ofJuly 27, 2015, just hours before his arbitration hearing was scheduled to occur, Stepan and the Rangers agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract lasting to the end of the 2020–21 season. Paying an average of $6.5 million annually, the contract made Stepan the second-highest-paid Rangers forward at the time behind Rick Nash, who made $7.9 million per year.
Arizona Coyotes (2017–present)
On June 23, 2017, Stepan was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and defenseman Tony DeAngelo. Stepan scored 14 goals with 42 assists in his first season with the Coyotes, playing in all 82 games. He was named an alternative captain for the Coyotes to begin the 2017–18 season. During the 2018–19 season, Stepan played in his 600th career NHL game on October 10, 2018, becoming the first player drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but who was not a first-rounder to reach that milestone.
International play
At the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championships, Stepan was the captain of the United States team and led the tournament in scoring with four goals and ten assists in seven games, leading to an All-Star Team selection. He captained the United States to win their second gold medal ever, defeating Canada in overtime. Stepan joined the United States men's team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, playing alongside Ranger teammate Ryan McDonagh and Ranger prospect Chris Kreider. He finished the tournament with seven points in seven games, and was selected as a top three player on the U.S.
Personal life
Stepan was born into a hockey family, as his father Brad was also a draft pick of the Rangers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Stepan's younger cousin, Zachary, was selected 112th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. On August 9, 2014, Stepan married his longtime girlfriend Stephanie Kent in their home state, Minnesota. Stephanie gave birth to the couple's first child on October 27, 2015, and their second child on September 21, 2017.
