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Mass. native Ryan Leonard’s road to NHL realized with sushi dinner with Ovechkin, debut vs. Bruins
"He's earned all of the accolades and all of the attention that he's getting."
Ryan Leonard couldn’t believe it at first.
No, the moments leading up to signing his entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on Monday was far from a shock. The Amherst native and Boston College star’s road to pro hockey had been building to this moment for years with each puck fired into twine and welt landed against an opponent.
Rather, the 20-year-old winger had to do a double-take at the text message that popped up on his phone just as he was about to put to paper on his contract with the Caps.
It was a message from Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin — inviting him out for sushi with the rest of his new teammates once Washington landed in Boston.
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“I read it in the locker room,” Leonard said on Tuesday at TD Garden. “All [my BC teammates] were in there because it was probably 5-10 minutes before I actually signed. And they’re like, ‘What? I don’t know if you should respond to that.’ I was like, ‘I kinda have to.'”
Sure enough, Leonard made the drive from Chestnut Hill to downtown Boston later that evening to meet up with Ovechkin and the Capitals ahead of his NHL debut on Tuesday night against the Bruins.
While most “Welcome to the NHL Moments” usually revolve around a wide-eyed rookie lighting the lamp or dropping the gloves against a proven scrapper, Ovechkin noted on Tuesday that he wanted to make Washington’s new forward feel welcome well before he hit the ice for morning skate on Causeway Street.
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“I’ve been there,” Ovechkin said after Washington’s morning skate. “The guys who have been in the locker room helped me out big time. I just try to do little things and help the new faces in our locker room feel comfortable.”
Tuesday stands as the latest twist in what has been a whirlwind stretch of days for Leonard, who saw his season at Boston College come to an end against Denver on Sunday in the NCAA Regional Final in Manchester, N.H.
Just a day later, Leonard signed his entry-level contract in the Eagles’ dressing room — setting the stage for his NHL debut the following evening.
“It sucked to lose like that, especially to Denver, too — losing to them last year [in the NCAA national championship game]. But they had a great club, and I just had so much fun with our team this year,” Leonard said. “It was the best decision to go back for another year — just grew a lot and matured too. So it’s definitely the right choice.”
Despite the pain of coming up short in the NCAA tournament, Leonard’s resume on Chesnut Hill speaks for itself.
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The Western Mass. product — drafted eighth overall by Washington in 2023 — was a one-man wrecking crew with the Eagles, scoring 61 goals and 109 points over 78 games at BC.
After tallying 31 goals as a freshman, Leonard added another 30 goals in 2024-25 — becoming the first D-I men’s hockey player to score 30+ goals in back-to-back seasons since Cam Atkinson accomplished the feat from 2009-11.
Beyond his knack for finding the back of the net, the Hobey Baker Award finalist has crafted a profile as an impactful top-six talent at the next level due to his high motor, sandpaper style of play, and willingness to drag his teammates into the fight.
A two-time gold medalist at the IIHF World Junior Championship, Leonard captained the United States in the 2025 tournament — leading Team USA to a second-straight gold medal for the first time in tournament history.
And now, the prickly and skilled winger is set to join a Capitals team currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference with 103 points — and just nine games to go until a promising Stanley Cyp run.
“He’s earned all of the accolades and all of the attention that he’s getting,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said of Leonard. “And for him to come in — I mean, we don’t have any delusions of him coming in and saving the world here.
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“He’s going to come into our group and we’re going to integrate him in, and hopefully he can help our team … We do know he’s a big part of our future as an organization. And he’s going to be a great player in this league for the long time.”
For Leonard — who began to rise through the hockey ranks from his days with the Springfield Rifles and Pope Francis Prep — Tuesday’s debut will represent a dream realized.
“My whole (Boston College) team is coming,” Leonard said of upcoming game against Boston. “They’ll be here. And a lot of friends and family from back home, so it should be a lot of fun.”
While the confident forward admitted that the jitters haven’t set in as of Tuesday morning, that sentiment might change just before puck drop against Boston.
“Just go out there and embrace it,” Leonard said of the message echoed to him. “Everyone’s just telling me — just be me. Don’t overthink it. If you see a play, make a play.
“You get an opportunity to shoot it? Trust your instincts. So just try to go play my game out there tonight and really just have fun.”
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