The Washington Capitals signed 2023 first-round draft pick Ryan Leonard to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday.
The 20-year-old forward joins the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals with nine games remaining on the team’s regular-season schedule. Leonard is expected to immediately jump into head coach Spencer Carbery’s lineup and don jersey number 9 with the club.
Ryan Leonard will wear 9️⃣ with the Washington Capitals#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/goW8KMbIbM
— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 31, 2025
Leonard wore number 9 with the Boston College Eagles in the NCAA during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He also wore it for Team USA when he won gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships and at the past two Capitals development camps.
The top prospect’s choice in number may be inspired by his older brother, John Leonard. The elder Leonard, currently in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, wore number 9 when he played college hockey for the Massachusetts Minutemen.
Leonard also previously wore number 24 while with Team USA at the senior World Championship last spring and number 42 while playing for the US National Development Team Program.
Seventeen players have worn number 9 for the Capitals before Leonard, with the latest being long-time defenseman Dmitry Orlov, who wore it for eight seasons after switching from number 81 in 2014. Other notable former Caps to wear number 9 include Brendan Morrison, Dainius Zubrus, Ryan Walter, and Ace Bailey.
Leonard could make his NHL debut wearing the number as soon as Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.
