Scrolling through X on a Tuesday night, I was looking through most of my feed for anything interesting. The Vegas Golden Knights news cycle was done for the day, after all. I figured I would look and see what crazy fights or naked people were running around on the app.
That was until an interesting tweet (or post or whatever Elon Musk calls it these days) came up. It concerned a particular Golden Knights star who came from nothing. He never cracked double-digit goals in his six seasons prior to 2024-25. He was also barely present on the New York Rangers, eventually coming to Vegas in 2021-22. Does that sound familiar?
That's because it is. Remember when Chandler Stephenson came from nowhere to become a prominent force for Vegas. He spent his first five seasons also missing out on double-digit goals before taking a big step in 2020-21 with 14 goals and 21 assists. A season later, he scored 21 goals and 43 assists before winning the Stanley Cup the next season. The rest, as they say, is history.
Stephenson got a sizable seven-year contract from the Seattle Kraken last summer for his hard work. Getting $6.25 million AAV while playing for the most underwhelming expansion franchise ever? Sign me up! But this clone has similarly shocked Golden Knights fans this season, too. He already has 20 goals, shattering his previous career-high of nine. Here's the mystery man who's becoming the spitting image of the Kraken center.
It seems the Vegas Golden Knights made Brett Howden into their next Chandler Stephenson
There are many things to admire about Chandler Stephenson. He's fast, flexible on any line, and can score when needed. That's what made him one of the best low-risk pickups in Vegas Golden Knights history. But now that he's gone to watch the Seattle Mariners narrowly miss the playoffs again, who's stepping up in his place?
Update: yea, they did. https://t.co/mqoGrt0kXz
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) March 26, 2025
That's right, dear reader. It's Brett Howden. The 26-year-old has taken the mantle as a speedy, versatile forward who can play in any line combination. His breakout year has given fans memories of when the former Capitals depth piece broke out of his shell.
Of course, there are some minor differences between the players. For one, you rarely see Howden on the power play. Meanwhile, that was Stephenson's calling, where he registered 19 goals and 30 assists in his five-year stint. He was the quintessential special teams player who could run his own unit efficiently.
However, both have shown they're effective on the penalty kill. Both are threats to score short-handed (Howden has three career short-handed goals with Vegas while Stephenson has seven), using their speed and shiftiness to create transitional opportunities.
In fact, a comparison of both players' seasons shows they're similar in a sense. Here's a simple breakdown of Stephenson's 2020-21 campaign compared to Howden's 2024-25 season.
Player & season | Goals | Assists | Shooting percentage | Game-winning goals | Short-handed goals | Short-handed assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chandler Stephenson (2020-21) | 14 | 21 | 16.9% | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Brett Howden (2024-25) | 20 | 14 | 17.9% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
The stats look eerily similar except for goals and assists. Howden has taken the initiative on scoring goals and using his speed in transition. Stephenson liked setting his linemates up for success, giving them opportunities to score.
Looking at that tweet, it's easy to see why some people think Brett Howden's similar to Chandler Stephenson. Both were cheap finds by Kelly McCrimmon and have elevated their games to new heights. Don't be surprised if you see the 26-year-old become a huge star like Justin Bieber with a bigger season in 2025-26.