Just four days after Ryan Leonard signed on with the Washington Capitals, he got the chance to celebrate as he scored his first-ever goal in the match against the Chicago Blackhawks. Probably not too much of a surprise considering he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award after all, and also shares an interesting connection with Alex Ovechkin. While the latter debuted in 2005, Ryan, born in 2005, can now call himself a teammate! The former Boston College forward helped the Washington Capitals on the way to their 5-3 win over the Blackhawks, with an empty netter, and what got even more monumental was that he gained some earnest congratulations from the NHL legend Wayne Gretzky in the locker room. But despite the stellar week he’s had, academics wait for no one.
The 20-year-old, while thumping it off with his exceptional performance on the ice, is still pursuing his degree in communications. Stating the news on X, Sammi Silber, Capitals beat reporter at The Hockey News, wrote, “Ryan Leonard is still pursing a degree right now. He had a quiz he had to turn in on Sunday on Long Island after the Alex Ovechkin record-breaking goal. The Capitals rookie hasn’t gotten the grade back yet.” Further adding the following, Sammi stated, “The degree is in communications. He wanted to stay in school and didn’t want to drop out.”
Ryan Leonard is still pursing a degree right now. He had a quiz he had to turn in on Sunday on Long Island after the Alex Ovechkin record-breaking goal.
The Capitals rookie hasn’t gotten the grade back yet.
— Sammi Silber (@sammisilber) April 8, 2025
That’s some dedication to academics indeed! Now it remains to be seen if he can balance his time on the ice with his coursework outside of it. But after the celebrations surrounding Alex Ovechkin surpassing Gretzky’s record of 894 goals, who can blame Leonard if academia is the last thing on his mind?
This is a developing story…
The post Washington Capitals’ Ryan Leonard Stuck With College Duties Amid Alex Ovechkin and Team’s Success appeared first on EssentiallySports.