We’re just about rounding out our top-10 on the draft board, and we’re back again to talk about another exciting NTDP product.
Ryan Leonard had himself a very solid season, bringing a good bit of scoring pop to an already pretty loaded NTDP team – to the tune of 114 points in 74 games played – as well as at this spring’s U18s. There’s a lot to like in Leonard’s offensive toolkit, and he could well be just the type of prospect that the Flyers would be looking to add.
And, as a fun little bonus, he’ll be off to Boston College in the fall, and having a chance to play with our old pal Cutter Gauthier (how about on his right wing?). How’s that for continuity?
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 5 (North American skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 10 by TSN/Bob McKenzie
No. 7 by EliteProspects
No. 13 by The Athletic/Corey Pronman
No. 25 by FCHockey
Statistics
What’s there to like?
As we mentioned above, the scoring numbers really jump off the page for Leonard. He was third on his team in scoring both with the NTDP and for the American team at the U18s, where he was also given a leadership role (an A for the tournament). He spent the whole of the season on the NTDP’s top line and top power play unit, and found a good deal of success therein.
Leonard’s toolkit is, on the whole, quite well rounded. He has a heavy, accurate shot that can be very effective from a distance, while also having the hands to create and convert on chances in tight. He’s tenanacious in his play, he won’t give up on chances easily and he’s strong enough that he’s hard to push off the puck once he has it. His defensive play isn’t the absolute hallmark of his game, but he has good awareness, and that tenacity helps him to defend and erase mistake well.
Aiding all of that is his strong skating. He has a powerful stride, and while he’s not an absolute burner, he does have a good top gear, a good motor overall, and can get where he needs to go quickly. As in his offensive game, he’s direct in his skating – he isn’t going to get fancy, but he’s going to get from Point A to Point B to get to looking for his shooting lane.
What’s more, Leonard has good size already (he’s listed at 6′, 192 pounds), and he isn’t afraid to mix in a little bit of physical edge to his game. He’ll only get more effective in this area as he gets to college and works out in their program, and just continues to develop as he gets older, but there’s a solid foundation in place here as well.
What’s not to like?
Leonard has made some real positive strides in these areas in the last year, but there are still a few holes in his game. Scott Wheeler, in one of his recent write ups, called him “not the most cerebral player,” which is to say that he has a real nose for the net and he’s able to convert on a good number of chances that he creates or is set up for, there aren’t heaps of creativity to his game, particularly on the playmaking side (he can struggle making passes in traffic with pressure on him or with not a lot of space), and indeed he can get a bit net-focused at times.
None of this should ring as a massive red flag, of course, but it is worth noting. Leonard has a lot in his game that’s projectable for him to score well at the next level, but if there’s a team that’s looking for a player to be a more complete driver of a line between both strong playmaking and finishing abilities, Leonard might not check all of the boxes for them.
And on that note…
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Leonard is a good player and the level of skill he brings to the table would certainly be a boost for this Flyers’ pipeline, which is sorely in need of exactly that kind of boost.
However, if the Flyers are taking a hard stance that what they need is more of a dynamic pure playmaker to set up the scorers that they already have in the system, they might decide that Leonard doesn’t have quite the skillset that they need, or that it might be redundant. As we said, he’s made good strides in the playmaking department recently, but that isn’t the crux of his game, and that doesn’t project to change in a massive way there. There may well be a fit for Leonard in this organization, but it might not be as seamless as some of the other players that we’ve talked about recently, and will be talking about soon.
Can the Flyers actually get him?
The short answer to this is yes. While there’s not exactly a hard consensus on when Leonard will or should be picked, even when we take that whole spread into account, it’s still looking like Leonard will be on the board when the seventh overall pick rolls around.
What the scouts are saying
We’ll give you that full Wheeler quote here too that we referened earlier, and a couple more on top of it.
He’s a versatile, powerful, high-RPM player who makes things happen when he’s on the ice and pulls teammates into the fight with his scrappy, competitive, never-stop style. He’s not just the energy guy though, either. He’s got really quick side-to-side hands, a hard shot that rattles off of his stick, and quick crossover patterns that allow him to use those hands to get to places where he can look to shoot. Add in the strength and power that comes with his stocky frame, an ability to drive and shed contact when he gets bumped, and a defensive conscience, and there’s more than just a hands-shot-worker skill set. He’s not the most cerebral player and he can be a little too net-focused at times, but he has made noticeable strides on both of those fronts to become a more inventive, less predictable player from A to B (I’ve been more and more impressed by his little hesitations and his widened vision in possession). His backhand has also become a legit weapon, adding another layer to his shooting arsenal. There’s just so much that looks translatable about his game. The way he gets shots off hard even from off balance and sometimes falling stances. The way he battles and the fearlessness with which he drives the net. His dexterity. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Leonard has lengthy reach that allows him to loose pucks in the offensive zone in a highly contested situation. He will grab onto the puck and then use his reach again to push the puck away from the attacker. Once securing the puck, should pressure shift over to Leonard quickly, he will then look to complete drop passes to teammates skating towards him. After completing the drop pass, Leonard typically looks to skate to the slot and set himself up at the doorstep. He’s drawing pressure away, looking to catch attackers puck watching and sets himself up at net front to provide an intriguing passing option for the teammate that he passed to. – Josh Tessler, Smaht Scouting
Leonard is a versatile winger with a lot of elements to his game that an NHL coach will covet. He’s a strong skater who competes well, with a direct style of play and despite an average-sized frame he shows no fear of engaging in physical play. He combines that with excellent hands and an ability to make highly skilled plays with the puck at full speed. His playmaking isn’t great but there’s vision and finishing ability in his game to score at higher levels. Leonard may never truly stand out at either end of the ice, but he will never give a coach a reason to sit him and projects as a quality top-six wing. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic
We’ll make one addition to the poll, and we are (for what feels like now and for the rest of forever) making it another forward. It’s Brayden Yager!
Overall, perhaps Yager’s best trait is how active he is all over the ice. Though he is not the best skater (his skating is average at best compared to the rest of his draft class) he does move his feet in all areas of the ice. That includes the defensive zone where he doesn’t just participate in defensive coverage, he actively pursues the puck-carrier and backchecks like a true two-way centerman. He will need to add a lot of strength over the next few years to really tap into his defensive abilities, but if he can, he’ll become an all-situations centerman at the NHL level. – Devin Little, The Hockey Writers
Who should be No. 10 on the Community Draft Board?
Previously on the 2023 Community Draft Board…
