"John is a high-end shooter who is creative with the puck," said Wilson. "He took big steps in both his fitness level and all-around game and became one of the most dominant offensive players in college hockey this season. We are excited to see his continued growth as a member of the Sharks organization."
Leonard, 21, finished his junior season at
Umass Amherst
scoring 37 points (27 goals, 10 assists) in 33 games. The forward paced the nation in several categories, including goals, goals-per-game (.82), game-winning goals (6), third-period goals (16), third-period points (21), game-winning goals in third (4), multi-goal games (7) and was one of three players in the NCAA to register multiple hat tricks. His 21 goals in Hockey East play was a program record and his 27 goals overall broke UMass's single-season Division I record. By the end of the season, the
Hobey Baker Finalist
was named to the Hockey East First All-Star team, became UMass's first player to earn the Hockey East Three Stars Award, and earned Hockey East Men's Player of the Week (three times) and NCAA Men's Hockey First Star of the Week honors. The Hobey Baker is awarded to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player annually.
In his three-year stint with the MinuteMen, Leonard scored 105 points (56 goals, 49 assists) in 106 career games. He became just the sixth member in the program's history to reach the 50-goal, 100-point club and the first to reach the milestone as a junior in the Division I Era. In his sophomore season, he was named to the Hockey East Second All-Star Team and the 2019 NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team. As a freshman, Leonard led UMass scoring with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists), was tied for second all-time in goals by a freshman in the program's history as a part of the Hockey East conference, was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for March 2018, and ranked fourth nationally in goals-per-game by a freshman. Over the course of his collegiate career, Leonard earned five Hockey East Player of the Week awards and was tabbed the UMass Student-Athlete of the Week five times.
Prior to playing at UMass Amherst, Leonard played two seasons with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In 106 career USHL games, Leonard tallied 24 goals, 19 assists, 43 points, and plus-four rating. The Gamblers drafted him 54th overall in the 2014 USHL Futures Draft.
The five-foot-eleven, 185-pound forward is a native of Amherst, Massachusetts and was selected by San Jose in the 6th round of the 2018 NHL Draft (182nd overall).
