Ryan Leonard’s game : In-depth breakdown

Ryan Leonard is the prototype modern power forward sought by NHL teams. Following Adam Fantilli, he is the player who presents the best balance between high-level individual skills and a physical aspect that bring us back Old School Hockey. At 5’11, he’s no giant, but don’t take him lightly, he’s built like a tank.

Modern prospects who exhibit a leaning towards rugged hockey while contributing offensively have become such a rarity that their profiles alone make them highly in-demand players. This is what the identity of Ryan Leonard is based on.

He advocates physical play and loves to complete his checks. Even in games against NCAA teams (against players much older than him) he simply looked like a bulldozer, blasting through his opponents. His opposition has an interest in trying to avoid him when he arrives, because he will stop at nothing. He also likes to play with a certain ‘Edge‘ and likes to bother after the whistles.

Something I like about him is that his opponents have to be wary of him at all times when he’s on the ice. From the outset, advocating this style of play has its repercussions on the body and it is difficult to bring this physical aspect all season long. Many such players won’t be able to be so abrasive and rough all the time. Leonard, yes! Also, forwards will tend to mostly complete their hits on the forecheck but will not be as feared in the other two areas. This is something that Leonard does remarkably well. With a keen defensive awareness and unparalleled dedication to his team, Leonard is always the first to backcheck hard defensively. It is during these situations that he takes the opportunity to deliver huge check as his opponents didn’t expect him and were in a vulnerable position.

This is also an aspect of his game that goes a little under silence, but his defensive game is very advanced. This mostly stems from the fact that his compete-level is remarkably high and that he does everything he can to help his team win games, which includes stepping up in front of shots, sacrificing offense and getting involved in battles for loose pucks in his zone.

On his line that he formed with Will Smith and Gabe Perreault, Leonard is the one who performed all the ‘Heavy-Lifting’. All the dirty work, defensive responsibilities, winning puck battles, getting in front of the net, into the corners of the rink, etc.

I also watched games of his two acolytes in the season when they were without Leonard on their line and their efficiency took a toll ! He really is the so-called ‘Glue-Guy’ on this line, the player who makes everything stick together and work.

His offensive game is very solid overall as well. The power-forward presents quite a varied toolbox. His wrist shot is very heavy and possibly his best weapon. Goaltenders always seem to have a hard time controlling their rebound when the puck comes off Leonard’s stick.

He is a dangerous scorer since he demonstrates good intelligence on the ice and he knows how to take advantage of open spaces on the ice.

Something that makes him a good scorer is that he has quick hands and he is able, in a single move, to receive a pass and position himself to release the puck quickly. It is for this reason that he has been employed in the ‘Bumper’ position during the power play this season.

The only small reservation I have is that in some games, it took him a lot of scoring-chances before he was able to put the puck in the back of the net.

Inside his puck handling, Leonard demonstrates some very appealing qualities. At the top of the list, I would say what he does best, and that’s a huge bonus for his teammates, is that you just can’t give him a bad pass. He always finds a way to make every puck handed to him profitable, even if the pass is bad. For example, in the ‘Bumper‘ position that I mentioned during the power play, I saw him catch passes behind him skillfully by passing the puck between his skates and directly shooting a shot afterwards, in the same fluid motion. I also saw him catch a pass in his skates and directly put the puck in position to shoot.

He seems to be at his best when in heavy traffic or near the net. There are occasions when you think he’s handcuffed by the lack of space and he manages to make a play in front of the goalkeeper, whether by bringing the puck on his backhand or by bringing the puck close to him. He has a wide array of tricks in front of the goalkeeper.

Ironically, his hands have some limitations when he’s in more open space, he’s not necessarily the player who will beat defensemen in a one-on-one situation.

In terms of his passing skills, Leonard shows more intelligence than he is given credit for. With the style of play he advocates, he doesn’t have to be a super creative player on the ice, but I think he has shown (especially early in the season) to have slightly above average vision.

He made a few plays in the season that showed a good offensive flair. For example, by winning the center and immobilizing the opposing defense with the threat of a shot before handing it to a teammate at the goalmouth for an easy goal.

He also made a few passes behind his back to counter the defensive scheme of his opponents when no option seemed open to him. What I liked about his play selections was that there was a real purpose to those plays and on top of that Leonard didn’t make the mistake that young players regularly make which is to stare at his pass and risk being crushed with an open-ice hit. Instead, he kept his gaze forward.

In terms of his skating, the American has quite solid mechanics, but would benefit from working on his explosion a bit.

It is especially in transition that this is observed. Since he’s not the most explosive skater, he keeps the puck in front of him with one hand, which means he can’t fool his opponents with changes of direction or with a deke. It forces him to use a more linear approach that doesn’t always work. To his defense, his pass selections in the neutral zone are excellent and his execution is flawless. But if he can gain in acceleration, he would become much more threatening offensively.

Leonard is a player that every team that aspires to a championship must have. He has one of the best work ethics in the entire draft, he brings a very rare aspect of toughness and makes sure he wins every confrontation on the ice, whether it’s a race for a loose puck, providing a defensive backcheck from one of the members of his line to neutralize an odd-man rushes, to intimidate his opponents after the whistles, etc. He is a player you need to win hockey games. For me, he can become a scorer of 30 goals and 60 pts.