Ryan Leonard will make his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old winger was playing college hockey for the Boston College Eagles just two days ago, and now he’ll be suiting up with the Caps against his hometown Boston Bruins.
Leonard signed his entry-level contract with the Caps on Monday and hit the ice for his first morning skate less than 24 hours later. He will make his debut on the road against the Bruins and will have all of his Boston College teammates and lots of friends and family in attendance.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Leonard said Tuesday. “Meeting all the guys and really looking forward to tonight. It should be a lot of fun.
“This is the only debut I’ll have,” he added. “Not really something that you can put into words – something you really dream about comes true.”
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery revealed pregame that Leonard will start his Caps career on a line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas. The top-six assignment will see Taylor Raddysh, a bottom-six winger, come out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.
“I think giving him an opportunity to play inside our top six was objective [number] one,” Carbery said. “Objective two – give him a couple of linemates that can help him through situations. So, whether that’s a communication standpoint or Pro being a really smart, intelligent, in-the-right-spot type of player. I think those are characteristics that can help a young player that’s playing his first NHL game.”
Leonard was one of the first players on the ice at Boston’s TD Garden for his first skate as an official member of the Capitals. He even traded sticks with Caps captain, Alex Ovechkin, for part of the practice.
“Yeah, he doesn’t like my sticks,” Leonard said. “So, that didn’t go too hot, but, yeah, it was pretty cool to just go out there and shoot with his.”
What did 8 say to 9? pic.twitter.com/UCQ5ykVb7z
— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 1, 2025
Leonard is coming off of a sophomore season in the NCAA that saw him lead the nation in goal-scoring with 30 goals and post 49 points (30g, 19a) in 37 games. The 2023 first-round pick had been riding a 17-game point streak with the Eagles until being held off the scoresheet in the school’s NCAA Tournament elimination loss at the hands of the Denver Pioneers.
Carbery shared that he was looking forward to seeing Leonard get into his first game but also sought to take some of the pressure off the young forward ahead of puck drop.
“There’s not a lot of expectations,” Carbery said. “Other than go out there and compete your butt off and don’t worry, don’t overthink, don’t feel like you’re not in the right spot or did I understand the systems correctly. Go out there and show your skillset, and he’s shown a lot over the last couple years. He’s a great player, he’s got good pace to his game.
“You get one opportunity to play your first NHL game in front of friends and family. To do it in his home state, in [TD Garden] is pretty special so I just want him to go out and work his butt off and enjoy the moment.”
Leonard, wearing jersey number 9 in the NHL, will hope to be a spark for a Capitals team riding only their second three-game losing streak of the 2024-25 campaign. The Eastern Conference-leading Caps fell 8-5 to the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Sunday afternoon in their last game.
