Ryan Leonard's True 'Welcome To The NHL' Moment? Living On His Own For The First Time

ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Ryan Leonard, his rookie season with the Washington Capitals hasn't just been about, "Welcome to the NHL" moments; it's also a lot of "Welcome to adulting" moments, too.

Leonard started out his NHL career staying with teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois and his wife, Maddie, and three dogs. He had his own room in his house, while the Dubois' mainly took care of cooking, cleaning and laundry — though he'd chip in when he could.

Now, with Dubois and his wife expecting their first child and Leonard more comfortable at the highest level, the 20-year-old was finally sent to go find his own place.

"Sometimes we forget that when we see these guys all playing in the National Hockey League, sometimes they're living on their own for the very first time out of the dorms or out of their parents,'" coach Spencer Carbery said.

So far, it's been quite the learning curve.

Living on his own in an apartment for the first time, something Leonard pointed out has its benefits and drawbacks.

"It's good. It's unique, but it's good," Leonard told The Hockey News. "Just being by myself most of the day, it's a lot different than being at Dubie's house... it was a big adjustment at the start."

For Leonard, the biggest thing it took time to get used to was truly being on his own. After practices, the Capitals will head back home to spend the rest of the day with their families. Leonard, on the other hand, has been left with a lot of downtime, and not much to do.

"You leave here, you have the rest of the day. You try to hang out with guys, but sometimes you're tired and you kinda want to be alone," Leonard said. "But, it's a long day sometimes when you're alone. Finding things to do to entertain yourself until you really get the hang of it (can be hard)."

So far, the 2023 eighth-overall pick has taken to Netflix, long walks around the city and, most importantly, self-reflection. He does his own laundry now, and does his own dishes, too, an upgrade from when he was living with Dubois and mainly trusted to prepare only side dishes or play a small part in getting food ready.

Playing nearly every two days, and repeating that routine for 82 straight games plus playoffs, can take a toll both physically and mentally. For a rookie like Leonard, who's still trying to find consistency and the scoresheet more often, it's been important for him to take that extra time to just think and clear his head.

"You have so much more downtime, you have time to yourself, and either that's a good thing or a bad thing. Bad thing some days, depending on the day, but some days when you really get to reflect and think a lot about what I can do better on and off the ice," Leonard said. "You just kind of get that time alone where you really get to think. Definitely calming in a way."

Beyond entertainment, Leonard still has ways to go when it comes to solo living. Right now, away from the meals at the rink, he mainly survives on takeout and dinners at his teammates' homes.

He has cooked before, but not much — to the point where his teammates wouldn't even trust him to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

"I haven't cooked too much, honestly — I'll leave it at that," Leonard said with a smirk.

Brandon Duhaime has taken Leonard under his wing, and in an effort to encourage him to cook more, took him on a trip to Costco to get some pots and pans.

It didn't go as planned.

"He left with like, samples and a bag of Doritos," Duhaime quipped, adding, "There's not a crazy amount of young guys where he can hang out with a ton of people... we have him over the house sometimes. I'm pretty sure he pops around to everyone's house so he doesn't have to cook... just getting free meals from everyone and spending time with them."

Editor’s Note: Leonard insists he did not buy Doritos, and did buy pans, despite Duhaime’s claims. Duhaime later said he confused Doritos with seaweed chips.

It'll take some time, but the Capitals have faith that he'll get the hang of it.

"When you get, 'Alright, you're out' and you learn quickly about all those things that you maybe took for granted a little bit... As an individual, as a pro, we always think about the on-ice stuff in the practice and coming to the rink," Carbery said. "But there's another part of it is maturation away from the rink and managing your time and how you decompress and how you recover and how you manage your life away from the rink... He's getting there, but that's all stuff that he's kind of learning on the fly."

All the while, his teammates have his back, and as he continues to grow off the ice, he's finding his confidence on the ice, too, with 11 points through 23 games so far.

"Bumpy road for sure. With Leno, he's definitely a character," Duhaime said. "He's an awesome kid, awesome personality. Just a good, genuine kid, a guy you want in your locker room. You guys see what he does on the ice, but off the ice, he's just a great person."