Ryan Leonard saw his incredible freshman NCAA season end in heartbreak on Saturday night.
The Boston College Eagles were shut out 2-0 by the Denver Pioneers in the 2024 National Championship game. Leonard fired a game-high eight shots on Denver goaltender Matt Davis but could not dent the twine.
The defeat was BC’s first shutout loss of the season and the first time the Eagles lost by two goals without their opposition scoring an empty netter. Denver lifted the National Championship trophy for an NCAA-record 10th time.
Left it all out there. pic.twitter.com/uvJklxXD5Y
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) April 14, 2024
All Capitals-related attention will now turn to Leonard’s next move after the loss. Will the 19-year-old first-round draft selection sign an entry-level contract with the Capitals and forego the rest of his college career or will he return to BC’s campus for a sophomore season?
The supremely talented winger broke BC’s freshman goal-scoring record by tallying 31 times in 40 games and recorded 60 points overall in those games. The NCAA level is clearly below him and the Capitals have considered him NHL-ready since rookie camp in the fall.
If he does immediately go the pro route, he would be eligible to make his NHL debut as soon as Monday night against his hometown Boston Bruins. He could also wait out the final two games of the Capitals’ season to see if they make the playoffs and then make a decision from there.
Even if the Capitals do not qualify for the postseason, Leonard could still go pro and sign an amateur tryout agreement with the Hershey Bears and be able to feature in their attempt to repeat as Calder Cup champions. Despite not being on Hershey’s roster at the trade deadline cutoff (to be eligible for the AHL playoffs), teams are allowed to add players on amateur tryout contracts, provided that their respective junior or college seasons are complete.
The sting of BC’s loss could lead Leonard to turn down those opportunities though. Much of his decision-making may also come down to whether or not his linemates Will Smith and Gabe Perreault also choose to go pro or not. All three freshmen were first-round draft picks in 2023.
“It’s always in the back of your head when you’re going to turn pro and when you’re going to take that next step,” Leonard said in early January. “The NHL is always going to be there, but I think college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you never want to rush out of there and just want to soak it all in and see what you can make happen here.
“College, I’ve always said this, it’s always going to be there. The NHL is also always going to be there but college, you can age out so fast and you never really want to make the transition too fast because there’s no going back. You never want to dig yourself into a hole.”
There is no real deadline for his decision other than the eventual ending of the Capitals’ and Bears’ seasons. Leonard could wait things out until the summer break as Arizona Coyotes forward Logan Cooley did last year before deciding to turn pro in July after one year at the University of Minnesota.
