The Capitals' 2023 No. 8 pick had eight shots in his U20 WJC debut.
On one of hockey's biggest stages, Washington Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard is putting on a show.
The 18-year-old is playing in his first U20 World Junior Championships and had quite the debut for Team USA on Tuesday against Norway while skating on the powerhouse third line alongside Gabe Perreault and Will Smith. Leonard not only picked up an assist and four penalty minutes en route to a 4-1 win, but he had a whopping eight shots and dominated at both ends of the ice.
Leonard's persistence and work ethic were on full display, as he used his size and grit to win puck battles, keep pucks alive and even draw a penalty. His grinder mentality made him difficult to stack up against, and his motor was relentless. And at the end of the day, that's exactly what Washington was hoping to see.
The Capitals hadn't thought that Leonard would fall to eighth, and when he did, they made no mistake in taking him off the board. Washington had been thought to be interested in the services of Matvei Michkov, who went just one pick before Leonard, but getting the Boston College forward may be one of the biggest steals for D.C.
Leonard has made the most of his post-draft year, bringing that determination and winning mentality to Boston College, where he has 10 goals and eight assists in 17 games. He knows how to get to the right places at the right times, and his shot, speed and drive, as well as the energy that never seems to run out, make him one of the top prospects right now.
At this rate, he won't need much longer at the NCAA level before making his NHL jump. His resemblance to a young Tom Wilson is uncanny, and D.C. could see him bring that to the Show sooner rather than later at this rate.
Still, there's time to go, but one thing is certain: he's putting in the work to get to the next level sooner rather than later, and it's not going unnoticed.