Players like John Leonard are some of my favorite ones to write about. No, they're not full-time NHLers, but if the Detroit Red Wings need a 'next man up,' and they don't feel any of their youngsters are ready to take the jump, then they want someone like Leonard.
For one, he's one of the steadier points producers in the AHL, something the Red Wings have seen for seveal years when Leonard bounced around several organizations. Last season, he snagged 61 points and 36 goals in 72 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
The year before that, he was with the Arizona Coyotes during their final hurrah and ended up with 12 goals and 32 points in 63 contests for their American League club, the Tucson Roadrunners. Go back to his days with the Milwaukee Admirals, and he put up a solid 44 points and 17 goals in 67 games.
John Leonard's an excellent supplement to the Red Wings big club
Someone like Leonard's gonna produce in Grand Rapids, and there are a couple reasons he's worth watching in the American League. For one, players like him are good measuring sticks, regardless of whether they're anything more than a one-year stopgap in the minors.
If prospects like Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard want to play extensive minutes in the NHL, they need to outperform players like Leonard. But before that, if they want more ice time, then they need to prove it by outshining veterans.
And for players like Leonard, who are young enough for their dream of playing full-time in the NHL to still be alive? They're not gonna budge, and will welcome competition from players who are in a franchise's long-term plans.
This comes on two fronts. The obvious answer is that it brings out the best in them and those younger prospects, but anyone with an ounce of how pro sports work would figure that out.
The other? Leonard knows the situation in Detroit, so it won't take much for him to realize he'll never play anything more than a handful of games in a Winged Wheel, if that. So, he's auditioning for the other 31 teams in hockey, hoping someone notices his play and he ends up as a good fit elsewhere.
There are high stakes riding on players like Leonard, which makes them more interesting than their current stats or career body of work may indicate. So, keep an eye on him in camp and in the preseason, and compare his play to some of those guys who will wear the Winged Wheel, or should, for a long time.