Ryan Leonard says he’s watched a lot more Capitals games this season and hopefully his NHL debut ‘can happen soon’

Ryan Leonard, the Washington Capitals’ first-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, is currently the hottest player in the nation.

The 19-year-old sophomore has scored in six straight games for the Boston College Eagles and was named the most recent Hockey East Player of the Week.

Tuesday, Leonard did an interview on Monumental Sports Network’s Rink Report and spoke to Tarik El-Bashir and John Walton. Even amid his busy NCAA schedule, the young forward says he is keenly focused on what the Capitals are up to.

“Yeah, definitely keeping an eye on [the Capitals], for sure,” Leonard said. “I’ve watched a lot more games this year and definitely keeping tabs on everything. I think this year is an important year for myself and it’s definitely fun to watch the Caps this year and how good they’re doing and how dominant they are out there.”

Leonard was nearly part of this year’s Capitals team after coming close to inking his entry-level contract with the club before the first round of the NHL playoffs last spring. Ultimately, after some serious consideration, he opted to head back to the NCAA for one more year.

The Massachusetts native has said his desire for another chance to win a national title for the Eagles and a guaranteed shot at returning to the World Junior Championship for Team USA primarily fueled his decision to stay in college. But he also still can’t help but think about his eventual NHL debut.

“Yeah, I think it still brings myself goosebumps every time someone kinda brings that aspect up,” Leonard said. “It’s something you dream of your whole life, and hopefully, that day comes true sooner rather than later. It’s definitely a childhood dream and hopefully can happen soon.”

Leonard has previously said he always planned to play two seasons at Boston College before signing with Washington. Once the NCAA wraps up its championship tournament, the two sides will likely reunite in April for contract talks.

Once Leonard does sign with the Capitals, he’ll join a Washington team led by captain Alex Ovechkin, who could potentially already be the NHL’s goal-scoring king when that day rolls around. Ovechkin, currently out with a fractured fibula, is just 26 goals shy of tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record.

“It’s been fun to watch Ovechkin score all those goals, and it sucks that he’s out right now,” Leonard said. “Watching him score those five goals in two games. That was pretty fun to watch. All my buddies in our common room – I live with seven other guys, so we always throw it on in the common room on the TV, so, yeah, it’s definitely fun to watch for sure, and they’re doing amazing, so hopefully they keep it going.”

For now, though, Leonard’s focus is on keeping BC in the win column. He is currently tied for the nation’s lead in goals with 11 and has tallied 17 total points in 12 games. The Eagles have four more games remaining on their schedule before Leonard and some of his teammates join Team USA in Ottawa for the 2025 World Juniors.