Lightning’s Steven Stamkos sells Davis Islands home for $16 million

Back-to-back Stanley Cup champ Steven Stamkos notched another win this week: a top-dollar sale of his Tampa home.

The Lightning captain’s waterfront Davis Islands house at 78 Martinique Avenue sold Monday for $16 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

That’s the third-highest sale in Hillsborough County so far this year, behind two of Tampa Bay’s priciest deals ever: Derek Jeter’s $22.5 million sale of his Davis Islands mansion and the $16.7 million paid for a sweeping 36-acre estate in Thonotosassa.

Stamkos and his wife, Sandra, purchased the property as vacant land in 2017 for $3.85 million, records show. The home was completed in 2018 and now has six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, and 8,516 square feet, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser.

Allan Mezrah, an agent with the Toni Everett Company who represented both the buyers and sellers, said the home was never listed on the market. But the buyers, who are listed on the deed as John and Kathy Shields, wanted to move to Tampa from the Boston area and were looking for a newer home with open bay views, just like the one Stamkos had built.

Mezrah was skeptical that the Stamkoses would sell, since the house was relatively new and they “were very happy living there,” he said. But he texted Stamkos and asked him if he had “a move-out number.”

“He gave me a number and the guy met it,” Mezrah said. “There’s a lot of money and big time people moving to Florida and when they come to Tampa, they seem to want to be in Davis Islands.”

All this happened back in March, according to Mezrah, but they delayed the sale to give the hockey star enough time to finish his Stanley Cup winning season and the ensuing celebrations without distraction. After knocking on doors and looking at other homes, Stamkos is getting ready to move to another house similarly not listed on the market, Mezrah said. His contract with the Lightning will keep him on the team through the 2023-2024 season.

“I can tell you he is not leaving the island,” said Mezrah, who said he’s known the couple for 13 years.

The home’s features include lots of glass showcasing the waterfront views, and a trophy room.