Ryan Leonard is an American right winger with the Washington Capitals, the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a two-time World Junior Gold Medalist who captained the United States to the second of them. Ryan Leonard signed an eight-year contract extension with Washington on 15 September 2026 worth $84,000,000. He scored 20 goals in his first full NHL season, a mark no Capitals rookie has matched since Alex Ovechkin.
| Fast facts: Ryan Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Current team | Washington Capitals, NHL |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shoots | Right |
| Born | 21 January 2005. The NHL’s register says Northampton, Massachusetts; the Capitals and ESPN say Amherst, Massachusetts |
| Height / weight | 6’1″ (185 cm) / 205 lbs, per the NHL, Hockey-Reference and the Capitals. CapWages alone lists 6’0″ and 192 lbs |
| Drafted | 2023, first round, eighth overall, Washington Capitals |
| Contract status | Entry-level deal at a $950,000 cap hit, then an eight-year extension signed 15 September 2026 at a $10,500,000 cap hit, running from 2027-28 through 2034-35 |
| College | Boston College, two seasons |
| International | World junior gold 2024 and 2025, under-18 world gold 2023 |
How good is Ryan Leonard?
Leonard scored 20 goals and 45 points in 75 games in his first full NHL season, which made him the eighth rookie in Capitals history to reach 20 goals and the first since Ovechkin in 2005-06. He finished 8th in Calder Trophy voting.
The scene that follows him around is older than that season. He scored his first NHL goal into an empty net in a 5-3 win over Chicago on 4 April 2025, and Wayne Gretzky was in the building. “The kid who scored on the empty net, where is he?” Gretzky asked, before finding him: “Congratulations on your first goal,” and then, gesturing towards Alex Ovechkin, the arithmetic: “Eight hundred and ninety five more and you can pass him.”
The team calls him Leno. The channels for every Washington game are in our guide to how to watch the Washington Capitals.
What are Ryan Leonard’s career stats?
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 36 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 22 |
| 2022-23 | U.S. National U18 Team | NTDP | 57 | 51 | 43 | 94 | 46 |
| 2022-23 | United States U18 | U18 Worlds | 7 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 4 |
| 2023-24 | Boston College | NCAA | 41 | 31 | 29 | 60 | 38 |
| 2023-24 | United States U20 | World Juniors | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | Boston College | NCAA | 37 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 46 |
| 2024-25 | United States U20 | World Juniors | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 12 |
| 2024-25 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 2025-26 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 75 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 47 |
Completed seasons. His NHL totals through 2025-26 are 21 goals and 46 points in 84 games, with 58 penalty minutes, plus one point in eight playoff games. He made his NHL debut on 1 April 2025 away at Boston, a 4-3 Washington win, one day after signing his first professional contract.
Leonard scored 61 goals in 78 games at Boston College, at a rate of 0.78 per game, and 20 in 75 as an NHL rookie, at a rate of 0.27.
What is Ryan Leonard’s contract with the Washington Capitals?
Washington signed Leonard to an eight-year extension on 15 September 2026, worth $84,000,000 in total at a $10,500,000 cap hit. It covers the seasons from 2027-28 through 2034-35, so he is still playing out the three-year entry-level deal he signed on 31 March 2025 at a $950,000 cap hit.
The club framed it as buying time rather than buying a finished player. “Ryan is a young and talented player who is still years away from entering his prime,” general manager Chris Patrick said when the extension was announced.
Who are Ryan Leonard’s parents and siblings?
Leonard is the youngest of four, and all three of his siblings are considerably older. His father, John Leonard Sr., was drafted by the New York Knicks in the tenth round in 1982 and later worked as an assistant basketball coach at Villanova from 1992 to 1996 and at UMass from 2001 to 2005. His mother is called Cindy.
His brother John is six years older and a professional hockey forward, with NHL games for San Jose, Nashville, Arizona and Detroit and AHL seasons that include the Grand Rapids Griffins. His sisters Alyssa and Brianna, both more than a decade older, played college basketball.
“If I wasn’t really picked on as a kid, being the youngest of four … I don’t think I’d be the person I am,” Leonard has said. Of his brother: “He is my biggest role model in life.”
READ MORE: Braeden Cootes: Everything you need to know
Where is Ryan Leonard from, and where did he go to high school?
The NHL’s register gives Leonard’s birthplace as Northampton, Massachusetts, while the Capitals’ own releases and ESPN say Amherst. The two towns are a short drive apart in western Massachusetts; Northampton has the hospital, and Amherst is where he grew up.
He attended Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield, which was formed out of Springfield Cathedral, the school his brother played for from 2012 to 2015. From there, Leonard went to the United States National Team Development Program for two seasons and then to Boston College, where he set a program record with 31 goals as a freshman, led all of NCAA Division I with 30 goals the following season, was named Hockey East Player of the Year and won the Walter Brown Award. He was one of three Hobey Baker finalists in 2025 along with Zeev Buium and Isaac Howard; Howard won it.
READ MORE: Sandis Vilmanis: Everything you need to know
Who does Ryan Leonard live with?
For most of his first season in Washington, Leonard lived on the same floor as teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois. The arrangement started when he turned professional in April 2025 and ended in the autumn of 2025, when he moved into his own apartment as the Dubois family prepared for their first child.
“He’s treated me with the most respect, taking me grocery shopping,” Leonard said of Dubois while he was still there. “Just really trying to make me feel at home.” On living alone afterward: “It’s good. It’s unique, but it’s good.” On the cooking: “I haven’t cooked too much, honestly, I’ll leave it at that.”
Has Ryan Leonard been injured?
Leonard missed seven games in December 2025 after taking a high hit from Anaheim’s Jacob Trouba on 5 December. Head coach Spencer Carbery said straight away that Leonard was “going to miss an extended period of time”, and the club then put a number on it: a shoulder injury and roughly three to four weeks. Carbery later said Leonard also had facial injuries but no concussion. He was activated and back in the lineup on 23 December.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety issued no supplemental discipline for the hit, and Trouba was not penalized on the play.
How tall is Ryan Leonard?
Leonard is listed at 6’1″, or 185 cm, and 205 lbs by the NHL, by Hockey-Reference and by the Capitals themselves. The one source that differs is CapWages, which has him at 6’0″ and 192 lbs. Scouting language about him has always focused on how hard he plays rather than how big he is.
Does Ryan Leonard have a girlfriend?
There is no publicly confirmed information about Ryan Leonard’s relationship status.
Read more:
