Scout’s Analysis: What the Capitals add with prospect Ryan Leonard
The Washington Capitals are adding Ryan Leonard, the eighth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, to their lineup. Scout Jason Bukala writes about what he can add to their team in the short- and long-term and why Leonard is a “unicorn.”
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The Washington Capitals are a well-balanced team. They have six players who have scored at least 20 goals, led by Alexander Ovechkin’s 37 tucks, and with Pierre-Luc Dubois sitting on 19 goals they’re about to have another player hit the plateau, too.
Washington has a mix of size and skill in their lineup, but it’s somewhat surprising the Caps don’t really have a pure goal-scoring power forward on their roster outside of the always hard to play against Tom Wilson, who has 31 goals and over 200 hits on the year. After Wilson, Ovechkin is the most productive and physical forward on their roster with 100 hits. Dubois is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, but he’s only registered 58 hits this season. Washington’s biggest forward, 6-foot-6, 209-pound winger Aliaksei Protas, has produced 30G-35A but he’s only been credited with 19 hits.
Things are about to change in the power forward category for them. When Boston College lost to Denver University in the men’s NCAA tournament on the weekend, prospect Ryan Leonard’s season came to an end. Before his equipment had time to dry, Leonard had signed his entry-level deal with the Capitals and he’s set to join the NHL team in Boston on Tuesday evening.
The eighth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Leonard has been one of the top prospects outside of the NHL. Here’s what the right shot forward brings to the Capitals as they close out the regular season and move into the playoffs.
SPEEC, SKILL, POWER AND DETERMINATION
Leonard is listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds and he’s one of the most competitive prospects to arrive in the NHL in the past couple years. Recognizing his level of compete is not something I hand out for free or take lightly. The fact of the matter is Leonard never backs down from contact. He extends plays in the hard areas and battles for position in the slot or around his opponent’s crease area. He isn’t the tallest player, but he’s strong as an ox and very determined.
Here’s an example of Leonard’s speed and skill off the rush, followed by the power and determination he displays in the offensive zone:
GOAL SCORER WITH VISION
Leonard leans goal scorer more than distributor, but he’s capable of making plays. He sees the ice and uses his speed to push opponents off their blue line, but also has the vision and agility to pull up on the half-wall and wait for support to arrive before distributing the puck.
Here’s the breakdown of Leonard’s stats over the course of his college career at Boston College. Note how aggressive Leonard is directing pucks on net. He averaged over five shots on goal per game this season.
Scoring 61 goals in only 78 games is an incredible statistic, but as described above he’s also effective at creating chances for his linemates.
Here is an example of Leonard pushing the pace through the neutral zone and pulling up to make a play in the offensive zone:
GROWING PAINS
Leonard is only 20 years old. He will encounter some growing pains at the NHL level and, most of the time, that occurs on the defensive side of the ledger for younger players.
The college game is played quick and fast, but the NHL is on an entirely different level. Leonard was deployed in all situations for the Eagles this season and averaged almost 20 minutes per game in ice time.
Prospects generally get very excited about offensive zone time and the opportunity to score. It’s part of their DNA after growing up as elite point producers in their development years. But the NHL demands much more than that. If Leonard is to be trusted in all three zones he will have to make sure his offensive zone exits are consistently “on time.”
Here’s an example of where Leonard surpasses his fatigue threshold and runs out of gas on a shift that required him to track back with more detail and assist defensively:
SHOT BLOCKING
The good news is that Leonard’s defensive game is, on balance, very trustworthy overall. His hockey sense, skating and agility allow him to read and react to how plays are developing in his zone. When he fronts opponents he’s more than willing to block shots.
Here’s an example of Leonard’s commitment to shot blocking. He employs the old fashion “two-pad stack” in the sequence:
CAREER TRAJECTORY
Leonard is a unicorn. His approach to the game is different than most of his peers who are developing into NHL forwards. His combination of skill and will are attractive elements. He’s a shooter who can be deployed in the bumper position or the flank on the power play, but he has the vision to make plays from the top of the zone and off the cycle as well.
Leonard will lean on opponents and push back in the hard areas on a consistent basis. He scored 25 of his goals at even strength this season, which tells me he isn’t shy about operating in traffic and doesn’t require open ice to impact the game offensively.
In time Leonard will develop into a top-six power forward for the Washington Capitals. I believe he will end up being a 30-goal scorer who delivers north of 200 hits per year.
But for this spring, in his first taste of NHL action, he should add another layer of physicality and secondary scoring to an already balanced Washington Capitals forward group.
