It was a short stint with the Red Wings, but John Leonard made the most of it. In his seven games with Detroit, Leonard had two goals and two assists playing largely opposite Alex DeBrincat. However, as of the evening of Dec. 30, 2025, he is back with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Leonard, replacing an injured Patrick Kane in the lineup, jumped into the proverbial deep end of the pool, landing on Detroit’s second line for much of the last month.
The 27-year-old New Jersey native signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins this offseason after helping the Charlotte Checkers reach the Calder Memorial Cup last year. In 72 games with the Checkers Leonard had 36 goals and 25 assists for 61 points in the regular season.
John Leonard took full advantage of his opportunity with the Detroit Red Wings
After leading the AHL and the Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring through the first two months of the season, with 19 goals and 10 assists through 20 games, Leonard was called up in mid-December to join the main club in Detroit. Leonard scored both of his goals against his younger brother, Ryan Leonard’s team, the Washington Capitals, though Ryan was out with injury in both contests.
Importantly, Leonard’s mother and family were in attendance for the games as part of the Red Wings “Mother’s Celebration” weekend before the Christmas break. The move comes just two games as of registering his last assist in Detroit’s loss against the Carolina Hurricanes.
However, if Leonard reaches 10 games of NHL service he will be subject to waivers this season, unless the Red Wings sign him to a different contract.
While he has been reassigned, Leonard still proved that he can play as a depth piece in the NHL, and stepped into his role on the second line seemingly almost without missing a step. It may not be the last Red Wings fans see of him in Detroit this season.