Ryan Leonard selected by Washington Capitals at NHL draft
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NASHVILLE — At the end of April, Ryan Leonard scored the gold medal-winning goal for the United States at the under-18 world championships. Less than two months later, he became an NHL first-round draft pick. Turning a lifelong dream into reality couldn’t knock his golden goal off the top spot of Leonard’s lifetime achievement list, but the sense of relief he felt after he heard his name called made it come close.
With their first top-10 pick since 2007, the Washington Capitals drafted Leonard with the eighth selection Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena, adding a talented, smooth-skating winger who plays with edge to their prospect pipeline.
Leonard, an 18-year-0ld member of the U.S. national team development program who is bound for Boston College, said he didn’t have any indication ahead of the draft that he might land with the Capitals.
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“It’s even better that I’m staying in the red, white and blue, so I’m really excited,” he said. “… I know [Washington] kind of fits my style of play, and [I] can’t wait to get started.”
As expected after they landed the No. 1 pick at the draft lottery, the Chicago Blackhawks selected center Connor Bedard to start the draft. But the fans in attendance didn’t have to wait long for the night’s first surprise. With the second pick, the Anaheim Ducks bypassed Adam Fantilli, the consensus No. 2 prospect, and chose fellow center Leo Carlsson, drawing a gasp from the crowd.
Russian winger Matvei Michkov, the wild card of this draft class, went to the Philadelphia Flyers at No. 7. The expectation before the draft was that Michkov wouldn’t slide any further than the Capitals at No. 8, but the Flyers took a swing on the high-risk, high-reward prospect before Washington could.
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That left the Capitals with a decision. Leonard, center Dalibor Dvorsky and forward Zach Benson were in the conversation to be picked between seventh and 10th — and Washington had its pick of the three. Assistant general manager Ross Mahoney, who leads the team’s amateur scouting, had anticipated that Leonard would be off the board “two or three picks ahead” of the Capitals’ turn.
“Really happy Ryan was there,” he said.
Leonard, a 6-foot, 190-pounder, scored 51 goals in 57 games for the national team development program. Across his two years with the squad, he scored 77 goals, which ranks seventh all time — and only two behind Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews. His physicality and willingness to play with grit have drawn comparisons to Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, one of the top power forwards in the NHL and a finalist for MVP honors this season.
“[I’m] a guy who’s always got energy,” Leonard said, “the kind of guy who loves his motor and is always going. I’m a winner. I love to win. A pretty good leader, too. I’m really excited.”
Leonard said he draws on Tkachuk, the Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman and the Buffalo Sabres’ Alex Tuch as models for his game, taking pieces from each player. From Tkachuk, he takes grit and scoring ability. Leonard is inspired by the way Hyman plays alongside talented players. In Edmonton, Hyman often lines up with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl — and Leonard combined with Will Smith (Wednesday’s fourth pick to San Jose) and Gabe Perreault (23rd to the New York Rangers) to form one of the most productive lines in development team history. And from Tuch, Leonard takes physicality; there’s rarely a game in which he doesn’t assert himself.
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But as the newest Capital, Leonard quickly noted that there’s a player with his new organization who fits the same mold.
“Tom Wilson,” Leonard said with a smile. “Tom Wilson, definitely. Tom Wilson. Definitely.”
Tkachuk was the star of the Panthers’ shocking run to the Stanley Cup finals, and Mahoney envisions a similar path for Leonard.
“I see him also as the type of player that would be a really good playoff performer,” Mahoney said. “When things get a little tighter and it’s a little tight-checking and more hard-hitting and that intensity, I think he’s going to excel in those situations even more.”
Leonard will be in Washington for the Capitals’ development camp, which begins Saturday, but after that he will head to Boston College for his first season of college hockey. A native of Amherst, Mass., he long dreamed of playing college hockey in Massachusetts — though he deviated from family tradition by picking BC over U-Mass.
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It’s much too early to set a timeline on when Leonard will make the jump to the professional ranks, but he said his initial plan is to play two years of college hockey.
The Capitals hadn’t used a first-round pick on a player in or bound for college hockey since they took defenseman Sasha Pokulok 14th in 2005; he never played in the NHL. But in recent years, the NCAA route has become an increasingly strong developer of high-end NHL talent. In the 2021 draft, four of the top five selections played in college; in last year’s draft, the third and fifth picks remain in the collegiate ranks.
Leonard has high expectations for himself when he arrives on campus, where he will be joined by Smith, Perreault and three more of their development squad teammates.
“First off, probably have to say win a national championship,” Leonard said. “I feel like that’s everybody’s goal. ... [I want to] have a good however many years I’m there and then just kind of set myself up.”
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Source: The Washington Post
