ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals fans will have to wait a little longer before they can watch Ryan Leonard fill the net at Capital One Arena, but the talented 19-year-old forward gave them a preview of things to come during Capitals development camp in July.
In front of a standing-room only crowd at Washington's practice facility on the final day of camp, Leonard led his team to the championship of the 3-on-3 tournament and the Future Caps Cup.
“It was good,” said Leonard, selected by the Capitals with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. “Last year didn’t go the way I wanted, the tournament. I think we lost in the semis, but this year really capped it off.”
It has been that kind of year for Leonard; as a freshman at Boston College, he had 60 points (31 goals, 29 assists), tying for fourth in the nation among collegiate scorers, to help BC advance to the NCAA title game.
In addition, the native of Amherst, Massachusetts, earned a gold medal with the United States at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he had six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games.
So impressed was Washington with Leonard's season, it approached him about joining the Capitals ahead of their Eastern Conference First Round series against the New York Rangers, which they lost in four straight.
“We gave him the option,” Washington president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan said. “I thought it was a great year and I thought the timing would have been good on our part. Going into the playoffs we were missing some bodies, and it would have been a great chance for him to play against New York.”
Leonard, who had planned to spend two years at Boston College, considered the offer before deciding to stick with his original timetable.
“That night when it happened I probably didn’t go to sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning," he said. "I had class the next day and I just had no idea what to do.”
Leonard spoke at length on the phone with his older brother John, a forward who has played four NHL seasons, including six games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
“We made lists of the pros and cons of everything," the younger Leonard said. "I think I leaned on him the most.”
With his plan in place, Leonard returns to college for his sophomore season determined to fine-tune his game.
“Probably in spurts this year I was definitely showing professional, but I want to be ready so I don’t regret the decision,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a bigger, faster league so you’ve got to have your head up the whole time, be ready for what’s going to come after you and really make the best decisions with the puck.”
Leonard also has team goals in mind, namely winning another world junior championship and helping BC finish the quest it fell short of when it lost 2-0 to the University of Denver in the final.
“We came up one game short and that’s why I’m going back for another year, to try and get that program where it should be,” he said. “It was a fun game but hopefully it will go the other way next time.”
