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John Leonard (ice hockey)

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John Leonard
Born (1998-08-07) August 7, 1998 (age 26)
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
AHL team
Former teams		 Charlotte Checkers
San Jose Sharks
Nashville Predators
Arizona Coyotes
NHL draft 182nd overall, 2018
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2021–present

John Gerard Leonard (born August 7, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Leonard was drafted in the sixth round, 182nd overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

[edit]

Leonard was originally first eligible to be drafted in 2016, but was not selected while playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. After two years with the Gamblers, Leonard joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst ("UMass"), playing for their ice hockey team, the UMass Minutemen while studying Communications and Sport Management.[1] While with the Minutemen, Leonard caught the attention of the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the sixth round, 182nd overall in the 2018 NHL entry draft despite not having any contact with Leonard during the predraft process.[2] In his third year at UMass, Leonard was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and lead all NCAA players in goals, with 27.[3]

On March 31, 2020, Leonard decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks.[4] Leonard made the opening night roster and made his NHL debut against the Arizona Coyotes on January 14, 2021, playing on a line with Evander Kane and Tomáš Hertl.[5] Leonard posted two points in his debut, assisting on goals by both his linemates, helping the Sharks to a 4–3 shootout victory.[5] His first goal came in a 3–2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on February 15, 2021.[6]

After his second full professional season within the Sharks organization, on July 8, 2022, Leonard was traded along with a 2023 third-round pick at the 2022 NHL entry draft to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Luke Kunin.[7] On July 18, 2022, Leonard was signed as a restricted free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Predators for the 2022–23 season.[8] He spent the majority of the season with Nashville's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, scoring 17 goals and 27 points in 67 games.[9] He got into six games with Nashville[9] and scored his first goal (the game winner) in his first game for the team against Sergei Bobrovsky on March 2, 2023, in a 2–1 win over the Florida Panthers.[9][10] At the end of the season, again a restricted free agent, he was not given a qualifying offer by Nashville and became an unrestricted free agent.[11]

Leonard signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes on July 3, 2023.[9] He attended the Coyotes' 2023 training camp but was placed on waivers. After going unclaimed, he was assigned to Arizona's AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners to start the 2023–24 season.[12] He was recalled by Arizona on March 12, 2024 after an injury to Barrett Hayton.[13][14] Leonard made his Coyotes debut on March 14 versus the Detroit Red Wings.[15] He scored his first goal with the Coyotes against Jake Oettinger in his fourth game, a 5–2 loss to the Dallas Stars on March 20.[16]

As a free agent at the conclusion of his contract with the Coyotes, Leonard was unable to garner an NHL deal and was signed to a one-year AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers, the primary affiliate to the Florida Panthers, on July 2, 2024.[17]

Personal life

[edit]

Leonard was born on August 7, 1998, to parents John and Cindy Leonard. He has three siblings. His brother, Ryan, is committed to play college ice hockey at Boston College.[18] His father, John Sr., was an assistant coach for the UMass Minutemen basketball team between 2001 and 2005.[1]

Career statistics

[edit]
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Springfield Cathedral High USHS-Prep 25 47 28 75 — — — — — —
2015–16 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 48 5 4 9 10 4 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 58 19 15 34 20 — — — — —
2017–18 UMass-Amherst HE 33 13 15 28 10 — — — — —
2018–19 UMass-Amherst HE 40 16 22 40 24 — — — — —
2019–20 UMass-Amherst HE 33 27 10 37 8 — — — — —
2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 44 3 10 13 2 — — — — —
2020–21 San Jose Barracuda AHL 2 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2021–22 San Jose Barracuda AHL 45 17 15 32 6 — — — — —
2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 14 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 67 17 27 44 14 6 0 1 1 0
2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2023–24 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 63 12 20 32 24 — — — — —
2023–24 Arizona Coyotes NHL 6 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 70 6 11 17 4 — — — — —

Awards and honours

[edit]
Award or Honour Year
College
Second All-Star Team (East) 2019
First All-American Team (East) 2020
First All-Star Team (Hockey East) 2020
Three Stars Award (Hockey East) 2020
Best Forward (New England) 2020
Most Goals 2020 [3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "John Leonard". University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Grabowski, Kyle (January 15, 2021). "Work ethic brought John Leonard from Amherst to the NHL". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Walfish, Josh (April 3, 2020). "UMass junior forward John Leonard's scoring ability takes him to the front step of NHL". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Leonard agrees to join Sharks, led NCAA in goals". National Hockey League. March 31, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Sharks' John Leonard: Impresses in NHL debut". CBS Sports. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "Leonard Scores First Career Goal Against Anaheim". National Hockey League. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Predators acquire John Leonard, 3rd round pick in 2023 from San Jose". Nashville Predators. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Predators sign John Leonard to one-year, two-way contract". Nashville Predators. July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d Grabowski, Kyle (July 3, 2023). "NHL free agency: Amherst native John Leonard signs 1-year deal with Arizona Coyotes". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Lankinen leads Predators past Panthers 2-1". ESPN. Associated Press. March 2, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "NHL Qualifying Offer Roundup: Puljujarvi, Bear become UFAs". Sportsnet. June 30, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Coyotes' John Leonard: Waived Monday". CBS Sports. October 2, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Coyotes' John Leonard: Recalled from AHL". CBS Sports. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Mastey, Remy (March 13, 2024). "Barrett Hayton Will 'Miss Some Time' With Lower-body Injury". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Mastey, Remy (March 14, 2024). "Coyotes Projected Lineup, Notable Storylines Against Detroit Red Wings". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Benn, Seguin, Stankoven score in 2nd period, Stars beat Coyotes 5-2". ESPN. Associated Press. March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Checkers add seven via AHL contracts". Charlotte Checkers. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  18. ^ Grabowski, Kyle (August 1, 2021). "Amherst native Ryan Leonard commits to Boston College hockey". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hockey East Three-Stars Award
2019–20 		Succeeded by
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