NCAA Stock Watch: Ryan Leonard keeps getting better

Like Glen Hall creating the butterfly goaltending style or Stan Mikita curving his blade and revolutionizing scoring, the NCAA landscape is on the precipice of change.

NCAA scouts have been flocking to the Canadian Hockey League, attending games, calling agents, and filling up future rosters with commitments – a consequence of eligibility changes that could upset the balance of power across all conferences.

Nevertheless, it’s status quo for now, with Boston College, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota, and Denver headlining Elite Prospects’ December NCAA power rankings.

James Hagens, Elite Prospects’ No. 1-ranked prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft, has started to rebound from an unsustainably low shooting percentage, scoring four goals across his last five and producing well over a point-per-game. Additionally, with drafted quantities like Gabe Perreault (New York Ranges), Aidan Thompson (Chicago Blackhawks), Michael Hage (Montréal Canadiens), and Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) carving up the competition, more than a few candidates could be featured in this Stock Watch. 

With the past few weeks dominated by our 2025 NHL Draft Ranking, it only makes sense to focus on a few NCAA draft-eligible players, along with a look at a future college free agent and a couple of drafted quantities. 

Stock Rising 📈 

Ryan Leonard, RW, Boston College (Washington Capitals)

We really could not go much longer without talking about Ryan Leonard. With nine goals in his last ten games -- 12 across his 16 games this season – the Washington Capitals first-round pick has simply been one of the best goal scorers across NCAA hockey. This was good enough to capture the Hockey Commissioners Association National Player of the Month award in November.  

Leonard is one of the most detailed players outside of the NHL. He's a true blend of hard and soft skills that lead to constant advantage creation at the NCAA level. He’s like an android programmed to play dominant hockey. His hockey sense is the catalyst of his game -- an expert supporter off the puck, Leonard is always available, ready to rifle pucks off the pass. He drives his lanes hard and gets in behind defenders, leveraging proactive contact to win inside positioning. He’s a relentless shooter, racking up high-volume attempts from high-danger areas. Leonard is also dogged in the puck pursuit, overwhelming with his elite motor. He isn’t the cleanest skater, but he makes up for it through his details and advanced processing of the play. 

On puck, Leonard is a daring slot attacker who adjusts his routes to the inside, utilizing delays and an almost maniacal level of patience to force opponent breakdowns. From there, he’s a deceptive handler who hunts for give-and-go passing plays, flexing slip passes and hooks to feather pucks through tight seams. He plays with no regard for his safety. 

Frankly, Leonard is ready for the NHL right now. He’s a special player who possesses top-line upside. It would not be shocking if the Massachusetts-born forward significantly contributed to the Washington Capitals down the playoff stretch, possibly after a run at the 2025 NCAA Division I Hockey Championship. 

Shane Vansaghi, RW, Michigan State University (2025 NHL Draft)

Shane Vansaghi has been on our radar for quite some time, but there was some initial worry about his translation and success at the NCAA level. Those worries, for the most part, were unfounded. Across 14 games, Vansaghi has recorded ten points while being one of the more impactful depth players on Michigan State’s roster (sub-13 minutes on most nights). This was good enough to receive a B-ranking on our December board and a 28th overall ranking.

The first thing you need to know about Vansaghi is that he is an absolute tank. Standing 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, a lot of his success comes from leveraging that frame. Liable to absolutely crush you at any moment, his physical game is shockingly nuanced on the perimeter of the ice. He’s an incredible protector, shielding with his back and separating strength, but his proactiveness sets him apart. He levels oncoming defenders with reverse hits, leans into and bullies jousting competition, keeps his feet moving under duress, and manhandles pressure with deft body positioning. 

Combine those physical skills with a higher-end effort, flashes of a power game, weight-shift handling in large ice, passing skill in the form of slips and hook passes, and you start to wonder if a dynamic player is ready to break out. 

Still, Vansaghi’s skating is limiting in its current form. Unable to separate from opponents, the winger struggles with stability and agility, often operating with basic edge work. This even affects his range when it comes to handling. Considering he’s already physically mature, drastic improvements might become less likely. Nevertheless, this is an intelligent player who likely suits up for NHL games; whether that is a third-line or fourth-line projection remains to be seen, but we like his odds of making it to the professional game in some capacity.

Dylan Hryckowian, RW, Northeastern University (Free Agent)

Simply put, Dylan Hryckowian has scored at every level in his career. After an over-point-per-game campaign in 2022-2023 with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, the Quebec-born winger stepped into NCAA hockey, scoring 34 points across 34 games as a freshman. He’s kept up that pace this season, racking up seven goals and 15 points across 14 games played -- good for second in scoring on Northeastern University. 

Despite not being the tallest player on the ice at 5-foot-10, Hryckowian doesn’t let that limitation obstruct him from playing a high-effort, pacey, puck-pursuit-focused game. He battles, pushes a high amount of pressure, and is always jostling for position. You won’t see the most dynamic play out of the undrafted Canadian, but his habits help him connect plays, especially off the rush. 

A middle driver, Hryckowian uses stop-ups and backhand saucer passes, often cutting and working the puck against the grain -- his playmaking is a standout tool in his arsenal. This extends on the cycle, where regular hook passing and pop-passes off the boards litter his tape. Hryckowian’s handling represents his most significant issue, often letting him down in small and large-ice scenarios. Be that as it may, Hryckowian’s game isn’t one of complexity. He’s inherently simple, often operating as a net-front screen, hunting for redirects and put-back shots off the rebound. Additional supporting habits off-puck mean he’s frequently available to shoot off the pass, where he leverages a projectable shot.  

Considering his pressure-pushing defensive game, effort, and playmaking, Hryckowian possesses some upside as a bottom-six forward, most likely in a utility role. There are still some worries that he will have trouble translating to the professional game -- he will be considered small at every level. Still, he is a value-add for most organizations from the NCAA free agent ranks. 

Stock Steady ↔️

Cullen Potter, LW, Arizona State University (2025 NHL Draft)

Initially an honourable mention in our first top-32 ranking, Cullen Potter landed roughly the same spot in our newest ranking, coming in at 38th overall. The Arizona State University winger was one of the few North American prospects to experience a change in their environment this season, opting to jump into NCAA hockey immediately. 

Potter, only 5-foot-9, has had an up-and-down season so far. An absolute burner who blends handles and powerful edge work at high speeds, his game is built around skill, agility, and one-on-one engagements. He’s a basilisk lizard that’s sprinting across water -- the activity rate and pace are absurd. Protecting at his hip, Potter sets up every handle proactively, using his full range, curling and dragging pucks around defenders. Explosive off a stop, Potter’s ability to access a second gear is also a legitimate advantage-creating tool. 

While the skill jumps off the page, much of the start of this season has been an adjustment period. Poor decisions characterized his early games, often attacking into immense pressure or trying to outskill every opponent he encountered. Recently, this has improved, leading to more building shifts and, ultimately, more puck touches -- a trend that hopefully continues.

At his best, Potter darts around the offensive off-puck, finding pockets to leverage his mechanically-refined shot. He’s inside-focused but struggles to access harder areas of the ice around the net. Physically, the NCAA game has been Potter’s most challenging adjustment. He’s at a disadvantage against most of the competition at this level, and without inside, proactive checking habits, his ability to win pucks on the perimeter is limited. 

Smaller forwards must be dynamic to translate to the NHL level effectively; even then, they are hard sells for some organizations. The caveat here is that Potter does possess dynamic qualities. Mix in a slippery, more deceptive game on the boards and continued advantage creation through his skill, and he could be a high-upside swing for this upcoming draft. 

Stock Falling 📉

Dean Letourneau, C, Boston Collge (Boston Bruins)

The transition from Prep Hockey Conference action to collegiate hockey was always going to be difficult, so it’s not entirely a surprise that Dean Letourneau has struggled up to this point. When considering the context, it may even be a bit harsh to categorize him as a “Stock Falling” candidate. Nevertheless, across 15 games this season, the 6-foot-7 centre has only recorded two assists, tumbling down the lineup into the four-centre role and rapidly seeing his ice time shrink to single-digit numbers. 

The biggest hurdles so far have been pace and skating. Letourneau is often caught behind the play, unable to ramp up his footspeed. This means he’s late getting into open pockets of ice while off-puck, and he's unable to get involved on the forecheck to leverage his size and win second-chance pucks to continue the attack. 

The skill in space is still prevalent – deft hook passing, one-touches off to driving teammates, give-and-go usage, and flashing saucer feeds off the backhand through slot-located seams – but it isn’t consistent enough. Part of the issue is that Letourneau has less opportunity to “drive the bus” at this level, something he’s been able to do across prep hockey. In turn, his game has been simplified, thrust into a net-front role on the power play, hunting for redirects rather than working downhill or blasting one-timers off the circle.

While I wouldn’t expect Letourneau’s stock to keep falling through this freshman and into his sophomore year -- there’s too much skill, physical ability, and sense to happen – it’s important to note the struggles early on this year. It’s almost inevitable that high school prospects run into a wall at some point in their career -- the earlier, the better in most cases. Now it’s on Letourneau to take this new information and adjust his game going forward. There is still top-six upside here for this unique prospect, but he remains a project in almost every sense.