Capitals College Credits – November, 2024: Ryan Leonard Compiles Goal Scoring Streak


Photo: Boston College Hockey

The Washington Capitals’ eight prospects playing at the collegiate level for the 2024-25 season include Ryan Chesley, Chase Clark, David Gucciardi, Cole Hutson, Brent Johnson, Joaquim Lemay, Nick Kempf and Ryan Leonard. Their collegiate seasons are now in full swing. Here is how each of them did during the month of November.

Ryan Chesley — RH Defenseman — Minnesota Golden Gophers – Junior
Drafted in 2022 2nd Round (#37 overall)

Photo: Minnesota Gophers Hockey

Chesley was not as productive offensively in November as in October, but he still contributed during the month.

On November 8, the Minnesota Gophers faced the Wisconsin Badgers. The game did not start well for them as they were down 2-0 less than midway through the second period and trying to kill a penalty. Chesley finished a give-and-go from Brody Zimmer, scoring a short-handed goal to decrease the Gophers’ deficit to 2-1 at 9:46.

The goal started the comeback for the Gophers, as they went on to win the game 3-2.

On November 14 when the Gophers played the Bemidji State Beavers, the score was 3-2 in the Gophers’ favor less than midway through the second period. Chesley made a breakout pass to Nick Michel, who carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to John Mittlestadt who scored the team’s fourth goal, putting the Gophers up 4-2. The final score ended up 5-3. Chesley’s assist on the team’s fourth goal was ultimately the game-winner.

They faced Bemidji State two days later – November 16. In that game, Chesley assisted on a late goal at 17:48 in the third period, narrowing their deficit to 2-1. They could not make a full comeback in this game and the Beavers added an empty net goal to win 3-1.

On November 30, Chesley earned a primary assist on the team’s fourth goal which was scored at 8:30 during the third period. The goal put Minnesota up 4-2 and proved to be the insurance goal in a 5-2 victory over Alaska.

With a goal and four assists in November, he has already exceeded his career-high in points, with more than half the season remaining. He fired 22 shots on goal during the month and blocked 18 shots. He took two minor penalties for four penalty minutes during November.

For the season, Chesley has five goals and six assists for 11 points overall. He took 32 shots on goal and blocked 28 shots. He took four penalties for a total of eight penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus value is +13.

The Golden Gophers are currently 13-2-1 overall, with a conference record of 6-0-0.  Minnesota currently ranks fourth in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

Chase Clark – Goaltender — American International College Yellow Jackets – Junior
Drafted in 2021 6th Round (#183 overall)

Clark played in just three games in November. He played on November 2 against the University of Massachusetts but did not play again until the weekend of November 29-30 where he played in both games against Robert Morris in a two-game set.

In the game on November 2, he gave up three goals during the first period as the team fell behind 3-0. Each team scored a goal during the second period, making the score 4-1. Clark was replaced in goal with Payton Grainer during the third period and ultimately fell 4-3. In that game, he made 15 saves in 29 attempts.

Clark finally played again on November 29 against Robert Morris. The game was a 1-1 goaltending battle for much of the way until he gave up two late goals. Robert Morris added an empty net goal as AIC lost 4-1. In the game, he made 29 saves on 32 shots.

Clark played again on November 30 against Robert Morris. This time, the Yellow Jackets beat Robert Morris 4-2. Clark made 31 saves out of 33 shots.

For the month of November, Clark was 1-2. He made 75 saves out of 83 attempts. Overall, he 2-4-1 with a 183 saved out of 202 attempts for a save percentage of .906. His goals against average is .906.

The AIC Yellow Jackets have struggled as a team and have a record of 5-10-1 overall and 4-6 in their conference. AIC announced on November 12 that they would drop from Division I to Division II at the end of the 2024-25 season.

David Gucciardi — LH Defenseman — Michigan State Spartans – Senior
Drafted in 2022 7th Round (#213 overall)

Photo: Lansing State Journal

Gucciardi played in six games in November and contributed more to Michigan State’s offense than he had in October. In recent games, he has been on the second defensive pairing.

On November 8, Gucciardi scored an empty net goal at 18:06 of the third period against the Ohio State Buckeyes in a 4-2 win. The empty net goal resulted from a clearing attempt that went the length of the ice into the Ohio State net when the Spartans were on a late penalty kill.

Gucciardi scored again on November 15, this time scoring the team’s last goal at 19:31 during third period in an 8-3 win against the Notre Dame Irish. It was a short-handed goal that he scored after receiving a pass from Shane Vansaghi.

Gucciardi played in six games in November where he scored two goals and did not record an assist. He had 9 shots on goal and blocked 4 shots.

For the season, he has played in 12 games with 2 goals and one assist. He has made 14 shots on goal and blocked 9 shots. He has taken 2 minor penalties, one 5 minute major penalty, and one game misconduct for 19 penalty minutes in all. He is +6 for the season so far.

Michigan State is 10-1-0 overall and has not played in any conference games.  They currently rank first in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

Cole Hutson — LH Defenseman – Boston University Terriers – Freshman
Drafted in 2024 2nd Round (#43 overall)

Photo: Boston University Hockey

Throughout November, Hutson played on the first defensive pairing for Boston University. In that role, he has contributed on offense, mostly getting assists.

On November 1, the Boston University Terriers lost 5-1 to the Michigan Wolverines. However, Hutson assisted on the team’s lone goal during a second period power play at 3:31. Hutson made a beautiful outlet pass to Cole Eiserman who scored.  While deep in the defensive zone, Hutson picked up the pass from Mathiew Caron and launched it toward Eiserman’s tape who then scored.

In a 5-3 loss to UMass Lowell on November 8, Hutson assisted on a highlight reel goal by Eiserman. Hutson made a beautiful outlet pass to Eiserman at 9:00 during the third period which tied the score at 3-3 at that time. Hutson took his time picking the perfect lane before firing a slap-pass from his own goal line to Eiserman at the UMass blue line. Eiserman then beat the goaltender high to the glove side on the breakaway.

The next day, on November 9, the Terriers avenged their loss from the day before by beating UMass Lowell 5-2. Hutson scored a goal in this game at 13:45 during second period which increased the Terriers’ lead to 4-1 at the time. Kamil Bednarik had won a faceoff for BU with the puck going to Hutson who fired a shot passed the UMass Lowell goaltender.

On November 16, Hutson assisted on a last-minute goal against Maine, at 19:39 during the third period which tied the game at 2-2 and forced overtime. This goal came when the Terriers had pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker. The game went into overtime where no scoring occurred and the Terriers won the shootout but the game was considered to be a tie.

During Thanksgiving Week, the Terriers traveled to Ireland for the Friendship Four Cup in Belfast, Ireland. AKA the Belpot. The week included touring tourist destinations in Dublin and touring the Game of Thrones set. They played two games, the preliminary game against Merrimack on November 29 where the Terriers won 6-2, and their championship game against Harvard where they came from behind to win 4-3.

In their preliminary game, a contest against Merrimack, Hutson had two assists. His first assist was a primary assist which came on a pass to Tristan Amonte between the tops of the circles at 8:16 during the first period which put the Terriers up 2-0.

Hutson earned his second assist on very late goal by Shane LaChance which came at 19:30 of the third period which put the Terriers up 6-2 which was the final score and gave the Terriers a chance to play for the Friendship Bowl Championship against Harvard University. The Terriers won the next day to earn the championship but Hutson was kept off the scoresheet.

During November, Hutson played in nine games, scoring one goal and recording 5 assists. He had 22 shots on goal and 10 blocked shots. He took 5 minor penalties for 10 penalty minutes for the month.

For the season, Hutson has played in 13 games, scoring two goals and recording eight assists. He has fired 22 shots on goal, blocked 6 shots, and is -2. He has 27 penalty minutes in all.

The Terriers are now 8-5-1 and 5-2-1 in their conference.

Boston University currently ranks 11th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

Brent Johnson — RH Defenseman — Ohio State Buckeyes – Senior
Drafted in 2021 3rd Round (#80 overall)

Photo: Ohio State Hockey

During November, Johnson played on the second defense pairing for Ohio State, which is having a much better season than last.

On November 1, Johnson assisted on the team’s eighth goal at 5:49 in the third period just after a power play had expired. Ohio State beat Lake Superior State by a 9-3 score.

During a 6-2 win against Lake Superior State on November 2, Johnson assisted on the first goal which came at 2:31 of the first period that staked the Buckeyes to a 1-0 lead at that time. Ohio State completed the weekend sweep of Lake Superior State.

On November 9, when the Buckeyes were facing Michigan State, Johnson assisted on the team’s first goal, which came on the power play at 3:32 during the first period. Unfortunately, Michigan State went on to score four unanswered goals to beat Ohio State 4-1.

For November, Johnson played in all eight of his team’s games, did not score any goals but recorded three assists. He had nine shots on goal and had blocked 11 shots. He was assessed one minor penalty.

For the season, Johnson has played in 13 games, scoring one goal and recording four assists. He took 19 shots on goal and blocked 18 shots. He has served just one minor penalty.

Ohio State is 9-4-1 for the season, with a 2-2-0 record within their conference.  Ohio State University currently ranks 17th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey, a vast improvement over last season.

Joaquim Lemay — LH Defenseman – Northeastern University – Junior
Drafted in 2021 4th Round (#119 overall)

Photo: Northeastern Huskies Hockey

Lemay missed the entire month of October but entered the lineup on November 8 and has played on the second defense pairing. He had the secondary assist on the team’s first goal in a 2-2 tie against the Providence Friars, where they won the shootout. This goal came at 1:16 in the first period.

They played Providence again on November 9. He scored the game-tying goal at 17:19 of the third period, which tied the game at 5-5. This goal forced overtime. Unfortunately, Providence scored the game-winner in overtime, and the Huskies lost 6-5.

He played in six games in November and for the season where he scored one goal and recorded one assist. He has 21 shots on goal and 8 blocked shots. He has taken 3 penalties for 6 penalty minutes.

Ryan Leonard — Right Wing – Boston College Eagles – Sophomore
Drafted in 2023 1st Round (#8 overall)

Photo: Boston College Hockey

The month of November started off relatively slowly for Ryan as he recorded just one assist in his first two games played. But then he caught fire, scoring goals in six consecutive games, starting on November 8 against the University of Maine Black Bears.

The Eagles had fallen behind 2-0 to the Black Bears before the second period ended. But the Eagles came roaring back during the third period. At 10:25, Leonard had the primary assist on the Eagles’ first goal. Leonard scored the game-winning goal at 18:27 on November 8 during the third period where the Eagles came back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three third-period goals. Ryan had also assisted on the team’s first goal that day which was at 10:25 into the third period.

Boston College played the Black Bears again on November 10, which was scoreless until Ryan Leonard scored at 10:39 during the second period. The Eagles had forced a defensive zone turnover, and Gabe Perreault retrieved the puck and passed it to Leonard who potted the wrist shot from the point to score. The Eagles went on to win 3-0. This was his second consecutive game-winning goal.

His heroics, including those two winning goals against the Maine Black, earned him the Hockey East Player of the Week award on November 11.

He had a goal and two assists during a 5-4 loss to the University of Connecticut Huskies on November 15. Boston College had fallen behind 3-1 after the second period. Leonard scored his goal 31 seconds into the third period to make the score 3-2. The Eagles made the game close but could not complete the comeback.

On November 19, when the Eagles were down 2-1 to the Providence University Friars Leonard scored the game-tying goal with just over four minutes to go in the third period. He followed that up by scoring the game-winning goal at 4:12 into Overtime. He also assisted on the team’s first goal.

Leonard received a pass from Perreault on a give-and-go through the offensive zone, smashing it home for the game-tying goal at 15:56.  In Overtime at 4:12, he battled the Friars’ defender for the puck and then maneuvered the puck around the defenseman and past the goaltender for the win.

He scored two goals during a 3-1 win against Northeastern University on November 22, specifically the first and last goals. Leonard’s first goal came at 4:14 into the first period when he found the back of the net after a feed from Gabe Perreault.

He scored his second goal of the game at 1:07 into the third period, getting a shot to the bottom right corner.

Leonard’s goal-scoring streak lasted one more game. They had a rematch on November 23 but this time lost 4-2. Leonard’s goal came at 14:23 in the third period with a close-range shot that narrowed the deficit to 1.

The goal-scoring streak ended in their next game that was against Dartmouth on November 29.

He played in 9 games during November where he scored 8 goals and recorded 5 assists and was on a six-game goal-scoring streak. He made 52 shots on goal during November and took four minor penalties for a total of eight penalty minutes.

For the season, he played in 15 games, scoring 11 goals and recording 6 assists. He has had 77 shots on goal and took five minor penalties for 10 minutes, overall.

Boston College is 10-3-0, overall and 4-2-1 within their conference.  Boston College currently ranks third in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

Nick Kempf – Goaltender — Notre Dame Irish – Junior
Drafted in 2024 4th Round (#114 overall)

Photo: Notre Dame Hockey

Nick Kempf is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame and serves as the primary backup to Owen Say, their number one goaltender. He made his collegiate debut on October 12 against Clarkson University on the road which was a 5-2 victory. He made 30 saves in 32 shots. He had given up two goals during the first period but had saved all opposing shots on goal since then.

He made his home debut on October 19 against the University of Fairbanks, a 1-0 loss. He made 22 saves out of 23 shots.

October 26 was another loss for Kempf, with the Irish losing 5-2 against Long Island University. He made 37 saves out of 41 shots. Note: Long Island’s fifth goal was an empty net goal.

He did not play in goal again until November 16. That game was a 4-3 loss to the Michigan State Spartans. He made 26 saves out of 30 shots.

He played in Notre Dame’s last game before they traveled to Ireland for the Friendship Four during the Thanksgiving break. This game was on November 23 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was a 5-3 loss, thanks to two third period goals by the Gophers, the last goal being an empty netter. Kempf made 34 saves out of 38 shots.

For the season so far, Kempf has played in 5 games and has a 1-4-1 record. He has made 149 saves out of 164 shots and has a save percentage of .909. His goals against average is 3.08. In four out of the five games he’s played, he has faced more than 30 opposing shots on goal.

Notre Dame is having a rough season so far, with a record of 6-10 and a 1-7 record within their conference.

By Diane Doyle





Source link

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR