Ryan Leonard realized a childhood dream on Tuesday when he made his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins. The tilt came two days after Leonard’s sophomore season ended prematurely when the number one overall seeded Boston College Eagles were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round.
Arguably the top player in college hockey this season, Leonard’s first NHL game (and his teambuilding the day before) drew considerable attention from hockey media and fans. Not only does Leonard have the shot and overall skill to become a top-tier player in the league, but his sandpaperness and trolling on the ice have made him notorious throughout hockey.
Leonard showed glimpses of what could be in the Capitals’ 4-3 victory over the Bruins. In 14:13 of ice time, Leonard did the dirty work that led to a third-period Dylan Strome goal and had the biggest hit of the game, sitting down Jeffrey Viel at neutral ice on a backcheck. While sometimes his timing was a little off, Leonard noticeably fit right in on the second line and earned the praise of his teammates and coaches, finishing the night with a plus-one rating, three hits, one individual shot attempt, and one individual scoring chance.
“Not really something you can put into words,” Leonard said of the chance to make his debut.
Leonard’s arrival
Leonard’s big game began with flair, walking into TD Garden rocking a pink suit and powder blue tie. He put on a game-ready Caps jersey for the first time shortly after in the locker room and quickly learned what the power of friendship is all about.
The tunnel
Leonard has many nicknames, but during the Capitals’ rambunctious pregame tunnel preparations, he earned a new moniker from Alex Ovechkin: Leonardo!
Rookie lap
After properly getting limbered up, Leonard took to the ice for warmups, where his new Capitals teammates stayed behind so he could do a lap by himself.
“It was pretty cool,” Leonard said. “I mean, my first lap, I looked to my right, and there’s a couple of my teammates on the glass. They all told me that was going to happen and they were going to be there, but it didn’t really sink in until that first lap.”
Of what he was thinking while out there, Leonard joked, “Don’t fall.”
Leonard opted to go with no bucket during warmups.
He even made sure to toss a puck to his exuberant teammates along the glass.
Big hit on Jeffrey Viel
One of Leonard’s biggest moments of the night came after he lost the puck on a carry-in into the offensive zone. The 20-year-old winger hustled to get back in the play, where he kabonged Jeffrey Viel at center ice.
The play was so impressive that the Capitals posted an alternate angle from ice level.
Ovechkin gave Leonard a fist bump as he went off for a shift change.
Hard work leads to Dylan Strome goal
Dylan Strome gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead after an Aliaksei Protas one-timer from the point ricocheted off the end boards right to the centerman in front of the net. But it was Leonard who cycled the puck back out to Martin Fehervary, who initially fed Protas.
“Yeah, just try to battle in front, keep getting the puck low to high and then nice play to the middle and then Stromer tapped it in,” Leonard said of the play. “It’s always fun scoring.”
“I thought Lenny did some good battles along the wall,” Strome said postgame to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken. “Got it up to the D, over to Pro, and Pro shot and got a lucky bounce. So definitely, we’ll take it.”
Post-game reaction
Leonard received high praise from his teammates and coaches after the game.
Alex Ovechkin: Happy for him. He played solid, physical, controlling the puck well. He’ll have a great future.
Spencer Carbery: I thought he was excellent. Liked his game, bunch of different touches he had. He obviously plays a big factor in the goal that was going to be the game-winner. Liked his touches through the neutral zone… And he was just off on a couple of plays, where he’s in an odd-man rush situation, whether that was a breakaway or a two-on-one. So a lot of things he did, really, and a difficult environment. Your first NHL game — and what people have to remember, too, is these college kids, they don’t get exhibition games, right? A lot of these major junior kids that come, play their first NHL game, they’ve got five, six exhibition games. He’s never played, never even been to an NHL training camp. So to step into a game, couple days after his college season ends and to play the way he did, it’s pretty impressive, and showed a lot of good things in his first outing.
Dylan Strome: I thought he was great. It’s tough, obviously. I remember my first game in Toronto. When you have so many family and friends there, you’re a little distracted — I can only imagine it for him. It’s his first game, and it’s in his hometown, and everyone’s here. So I thought, under the circumstances, he did really well, made a few great plays, and I think it’s only going to get better. So I’m excited. He was fun to play with.
Leonard on his night
The prospect forward spoke to the media after the game and admitted that while there’s going to be an adjustment period, he was enthused by his progress throughout the night.
Questions have been edited for clarity.
What were your takeaways?
Ryan Leonard: Yeah, it’s definitely a lot faster than college. Could have managed the puck a little bit better, had some bad turnovers, but I learned as the game went on and just hopefully keep learning and getting better.
What was it like to see Alex Ovechkin score his 891st goal in the game?
Ryan Leonard: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. He’s one of a kind, and it’s fun to see him get some goals, for sure. Yeah, I can’t really explain it, honestly. If you had told me this a couple years ago, it just wouldn’t be real, honestly. I really don’t know what to say to that. It’s just really cool — just trying to embrace the moment.
Were you following the Capitals during the season?
Ryan Leonard: Yeah, for sure. Just trying to keep up with the team, knowing that this season it was the end goal to get here. But it’s such a fun group to watch and even funner to be here, be around.
Did you save anything from the game for yourself, like a puck?
Ryan Leonard: I think just the experience itself. Everyone was so supportive all night, coaching staff, all the teammates. It was just so much fun to be out there.
Were people going out of their way to talk to you and help?
Ryan Leonard: I mean, a little bit, a little bit. But at the end of the day, I’m just another teammate. They tried to get me into the lineup as quickly as I can and get me up to game speed. So everyone was really supportive and it made the night a lot of fun.
A photo with his family
Leonard, who grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, received an outpouring of support at the game.
Not only did his family and friends attend, but so did Capitals prospect defenseman Cole Hutson, who plays for BC rival Boston University.
While Leonard didn’t manage to register a point or score a goal, he was dangerous and close to scoring throughout the night. His next opportunity to shine could come as soon as Wednesday night when the Capitals take on the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
