The Capitals prospect had a multi-point outing in Boston College's win over Merrimack.
The Washington Capitals continue to see grit and talent from young prospect Ryan Leonard, who said he loves to be the kind of player that opponents hate playing against. He did just that on Friday, staying red-hot for Boston College and making quite a few headlines — and enemies — with his goal celebration.
Leonard had a goal and assist for the Eagles, and after scoring his 12th of the season, he emulated Radko Gudas for his celebration, shouting in goaltender Zachary Borgiel's face.
It caused quite a stir in front and led to Leonard taking a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Boston College would go on to win 6-2 after a Cutter Gauthier hat trick helped trigger a comeback from a 2-0 deficit.
Here's the play:
Gudas, who played for Washington in 2019-20, made headlines during the Florida Panthers' 2023 run when he shouted in Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll's face after an overtime winner.
Leonard is known for playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he also has a bit of a flair for the dramatic. At World Juniors, he got under Sweden's skin and made headlines with his celebration, where he kissed the Swedish crowd goodbye after scoring in the gold medal game to put things out of reach.
"That's always kind of just been me playing with a little chip on my shoulder," Leonard said after winning gold. "There's always gonna be people that don't appreciate the way you play on the other side. But I think it's all part of the game and every team's gonna have one of those guys and I'm lucky enough to be that guy."
Leonard has 24 points in his first 20 NCAA games as he navigates an impressive freshman year for B.C.