John Leonard (ice hockey)

John Gerard Leonard (born August 7, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Leonard was selected 182nd overall by the Sharks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

John Leonard
Born (1998-08-07) August 7, 1998
Amherst, Massachusetts, US
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 San Jose Sharks
San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
NHL Draft 182nd overall, 2018
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2021–present

Playing career

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]

Personal life

Leonard was born on August 7, 1998 to parents John and Cindy Leonard. He has three siblings: Ryan, Brianna, and Alyssa.[1] John Sr. was an assistant coach for the UMass Minutemen basketball team between 2001 and 2005.[1]

Career statistics
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 — — — — —
NCAA totals 106 56 49 105 42 — — — — —

Awards and honours
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
  1. "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. 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. "Sharks' John Leonard: Impresses in NHL debut". CBS Sports. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
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