| Ryerson Leenders | |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Catches | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 179 lb (81 kg) |
| OHL Team | Brantford Bulldogs |
| Born | June 1, 2006, Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada |
| NHL Draft | 219th overall, 2024 Buffalo Sabres |
| Pro Career | 2024 – present |
Ryerson Leenders (born June 1, 2006) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was selected 219th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Playing career[]
Leenders was selected in the second round, 32nd overall, in the 2022 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) priority draft by the Mississauga Steelheads.[1] He made his OHL debut in the 2022–23 season, posting his first win on October 16, 2022, against the Sarnia Sting.[2] In that year's playoffs, he established himself as their starting goalie, but he and the Steelheads were eliminated in game 6 of the first round against the North Bay Battalion.[3][4]
In the 2023–24 season, Leenders recorded his first career shutout, against the Erie Otters on September 29, 2023.[5] He was later chosen as a top draft-eligible prospect to attend the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he made 19 saves on 20 shots.[6] After finishing the season with 24 wins, a .909 save percentage, and three shutouts,[7] Leenders was injured early the playoffs, playing only two games in a first round exit at the hands of the Sudbury Wolves.[8][9] Entering the 2024 NHL entry draft, his positioning, reflexes, and movement, as well as his success on a team with a struggling defence group, were among the qualities that led some scouts to project him as a first-round pick.[10][11] He would be selected in the seventh round, 219th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, their final pick of the draft.[7][12]
On August 29, 2024, Leenders was traded from the Steelheads to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for eight draft picks, including three in the second round.[7]
International play[]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Canada
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2024 Finland | |
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
| Gold | 2023 Czechia/Slovakia | |
Leenders played for Team Canada Black at the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[2]
At the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Leenders won gold with Team Canada, but as their third string goaltender he did not see any ice time.[13]
Leenders represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships.[14] In his lone start at the event, a 7–1 victory over Switzerland, he made 25 saves on 26 shots.[6]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2022–23 | Mississauga Steelheads | OHL | 35 | 12 | 15 | 3 | 1,877 | 109 | 0 | 3.48 | .879 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 337 | 22 | 0 | 3.92 | .861 | ||
| 2023–24 | Mississauga Steelheads | OHL | 46 | 24 | 17 | 4 | 2,672 | 139 | 3 | 3.12 | .909 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 3 | 0 | 2.07 | .933 | ||
| OHL totals | 81 | 36 | 32 | 7 | 4,550 | 248 | 3 | 3.27 | .898 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 424 | 25 | 0 | 3.54 | .877 | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada Black | U17 | 4th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 172 | 15 | 0 | 5.23 | .847 | |
| 2024 | Canada | U18 | 
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | .963 | |
| Junior totals | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 232 | 16 | 0 | ||||||
References[]
- ↑ Ryerson Leenders. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Karmiris and Leenders to represent Canada to 2022 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. GTA Weekly (October 18, 2022).
- ↑ Ryerson Leenders is showing why he is a Top Prospect. Fired Up (January 11, 2024).
- ↑ Three Takeaways From North Bay's Series Victory Over Mississauga. 13th Man Sports (April 10, 2023).
- ↑ Steelheads’ Ryerson Leenders named OHL Goaltender of the Week. Ontario Hockey League (October 2, 2023).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ryerson Leenders – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile (June 12, 2024).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Bulldogs acquire Ryerson Leenders From Steelheads", Ontario Hockey League, August 29, 2024. (en)
- ↑ Jack Ivankovic Performing in Relief for Mississauga Steelheads; Earns First Career OHL Playoff Win. The Hockey News (April 2, 2024).
- ↑ Series HQ: Mississauga vs. Sudbury. Ontario Hockey League (April 5, 2024).
- ↑ OHL Stock Watch: Luke Misa lighting the scoresheet on fire for Mississauga. Elite Prospects (November 2, 2023).
- ↑ Prospect Watch: Critiquing the top-rated goalies of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Steel Flyers (November 7, 2023).
- ↑ "Sabres use their final pick of 2024 draft on goalie Ryerson Leenders", Buffalo News, June 29, 2024. (en)
- ↑ Mississauga Steelheads duo win gold with Canada at Hlinka Gretzky Cup (August 8, 2023).
- ↑ MacDougall praises Leenders' performance: 'Outstanding goaltending'. The Sports Network.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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