Ryan Leonard is returning for his sophomore season at Boston College — despite the Washington Capitals’ best efforts at getting him to sign his entry-level contract at the end of last season.
The final decision was tough for Leonard, who was kept up late into the night tossing and turning about what to do before ultimately opting to head back to the NCAA for one more year. Besides another chance to win a national title for the Eagles, a guaranteed shot at returning to the World Junior Championship for Team USA fueled Leonard’s desire to stay in college.
Earlier this month, Leonard played for Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan. The 19-year-old winger spoke with FloHockey at the event about how important another shot at delivering for his country was to his final decision.
“75 [percent], maybe, honestly,” Leonard said. “Because, honestly, if you go play in the NHL, there’s a lot of risk if your team’s really going to let you go. And, if you’re having a good start, they’re not going to risk anything or probably wouldn’t have been able to play.
“You obviously never really know when the last time you’re gonna put on that USA sweater, so can’t really take it for granted. I want to be a good leader for this team and try to do something special, for sure.”
Leonard was one of the oldest players invited to the summer camp for the US after helping guide the national team to gold at the 2024 World Junior Championship. The Capitals’ 2023 first-round draft selection made a splash with his highlight-reel goal and celebration in Team USA’s 6-2 win over Sweden.
In seven games at the tournament, Leonard recorded six points (3g, 3a). He was then also included on Team USA’s roster at the 2024 senior men’s World Championship.
After that international junior success, Leonard wrapped up an outstanding freshman campaign with Boston College in early April with a 2-0 loss to the Denver Pioneers in the national title game. He ended his first season in the NCAA with 60 points (31g, 29a) in 40 games, scoring the third most goals in the country.
Leonard attended Washington’s 2024 Development Camp in July, joining fellow Team USA 2025 World Junior hopefuls Cole Hutson and Nicholas Kempf. Leonard’s team ended up winners of the club’s annual 3-on-3 tournament to finish the camp.
The 2025 World Junior Championship will kick off in late December; the gold medal game will be on January 5, 2025. Canada will host the tournament for the fourth time in five years, with the nation’s capital, Ottawa, holding games at both the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place Arena.
