MIAA Prospects: Ryan Leonard leads Pope Francis to national title

It’s not often a team’s best player doubles as its most improved, but this year Pope Francis sophomore Ryan Leonard was both.

After bursting onto the scene as a freshman last season, leading the Cardinals in scoring en route to the 2020 Super 8 co-title, Leonard returned in year two and bolstered his game even further, solidifying his spot as one of the premier high school players in the state.

In the midst of the coronavirus-impacted season, Leonard, a 2005-born forward, led the team in scoring again. In 11 games, the Amherst, Mass., native totaled 20 goals on a team-high 27 points as Pope Francis went undefeated in MIAA play and continued its dominant play into the postseason.

Without a state tournament in 2021, the Cardinals took matters into their own hands and registered for the Division 1 USA Hockey National Championship. In six games at the tournament, Leonard compiled 23 points on 16 goals and seven assists, as the Cardinals breezed through the competition in Omaha, Neb., and outscored their opponents 51-5 to claim the D-1 crown.

“We were fortunate enough to be able to play the games we played in MIAA this season, and most teams couldn’t do that,” Leonard, 16, said. “For us to go to a tournament like the national championships, it was pretty special. As a player, it’s hard to work on your mindset if you’re not playing to win something, especially in the long run, so we were fortunate to be able to go to Nebraska.”

According to Pope Francis coach Brian Foley, who’s been at the helm of the Springfield, Mass., prep program since 2004, Leonard’s game has seen a rapid acceleration over the last 12-plus months.

“His development has been amazing,” Foley said. “Coming in as a freshman last year, he struggled a little bit in the first couple of weeks, but it didn’t take him long to get it going. He definitely had to work through playing against some of the older, bigger kids, but by the end of the year he was the best player in the state.”

This season, he took it to another level, working through the pandemic to better his game, all the while hurdling the obstacles of the unprecedented campaign.

“What makes Ryan such a special player is he just has a really strong work ethic,” Foley said. “Day in and day out, he is one of the hardest-working kids at practice. He works every practice; he shows up every day to get better. He’s got a unique skill-set but also a great work ethic to match it.”

On the ice, that unique skill-set shows itself in a variety of ways.

“He’s highly skilled,” added Foley, “but he’s also going to, as he continues to grow and mature, have a power-forward body. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s thick, and when the game gets chippy, he can play extremely physically, but he also has a goal scorer’s mentality. Offensively, I think he’s as productive as a player his age could possibly be.”

Foley is no stranger to developing high-end high school talent.

Look no further than Ryan’s older brother, John Leonard, a former Pope Francis standout from 2012-15 when it was still Springfield Cathedral. John just wrapped up his rookie season with the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks.

Prior to the show, the elder Leonard was a three-year star at the University of Massachusetts, where he was a vital member of the 2017 freshman class that kickstarted the program’s turnaround from worst to first in Hockey East under head coach Greg Carvel, culminating in the program’s first-ever national championship this April.

While John was on the ice at UMass, playing games at the Mullins Center just minutes down the road from the Leonard family home, Ryan was in the stands studying his older brother’s game. “Pretty much every game that was available to go to, I was there,” Ryan said.

As a junior, John led the NCAA in goals and was named a First Team All-American. He earned a top-10 nomination for the Hobey Baker Award, staking his claim as one of the top Division 1 college hockey players in the country. Before all that, he was doing exactly what Ryan is doing now — developing his game under Foley in Springfield.

“John is my biggest role model that I look up to in the game,” Ryan said. “So for him to show me that it’s possible it’s really special.”

With years of experience coaching the brothers, Foley knows a thing or two about the Leonard duo, both on and off the ice. While Ryan has the potential to be a more physical presence as he continues to fill out his frame, the two share plenty of characteristics, Foley said.

“They’re both goal scorers first and foremost,” Foley said. “They shoot the puck; they have great releases, that’s why they’re so productive. I think Ryan’s following in John’s footsteps and I think it’s good to have a mentor in your house. It’s just a great family with a no-nonsense, hardworking approach. The two of them, they earn it.”

After the Hockey East tournament was called off due to the coronavirus last March, John, 22, chose to forgo his final year of eligibility and sign an entry-level deal with the Sharks a year earlier than expected.

The high school Super 8 received a similar fate in the early stages of the pandemic, canceled on the eve of the title game, resulting in a co-title between Pope Francis and Arlington High for the first time in history.

Without an idea of what the coming season would look like for either brother, the two set out to continue their training in Western Mass. To get ready for his first pro season, San Jose sent John a strength and conditioning program. In addition to working out alongside American International College skills coach Patrick Tabb, Ryan jumped in headfirst alongside his brother.

“You could definitely see it when he showed up this season,” Foley said. “Just how much bigger and stronger he was from working out with his brother every day.”

“Being a part of John’s training, that really just helped me mature as a player,” Ryan said. “I think it’s just helped me get one step further.”

The brothers spending time together is nothing new, especially when it comes to hockey. They’ve been focused on the game since they were kids, leaning on each other as competitive partners and working in tandem to better their crafts.

“John has a really good shot,” Ryan said. “In the summer, when we’re shooting pucks in the basement, we’re always playing ‘Pig’ and ‘Horse’ and it’s always good competition. He’s probably my biggest role model. I’m just a little bit more physical than he is.”

Coming from a basketball-oriented family — Leonard's father, John Leonard Sr., spent three decades as a college basketball assistant coach, while his older sisters, Brianna and Alyssa, were high school hoop stars — John is the reason why Ryan got into hockey in the first place.

“(Hockey) has always just been a part of me,” the younger Leonard said. “Once I saw John out there and how much fun he was having, it looked like something that I would enjoy. So I put on some skates and I never looked back from there.”

With more than 3,000 miles separating them today, the brothers do their best to keep in touch, whether it’s to talk shop or everyday life.

“Sometimes we try to get away from hockey and just continue the family brothership we have and just kind of catch up, see how we’re doing and try to make our lives as close as they can, even though we’re on separate sides of the country,” Ryan said.

“It’s kind of tough to watch his games but I talk to him a few times a week, sometimes even more than that,” added John. “We’re always checking in on each other, seeing how we are doing. He’s got a big future for sure.”

A candidate for the National Team Development Program — Ryan participated in USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Mich., from May 9-13 — Leonard isn’t overly worried about what’s next. For now, he’s doing his best to stay in the moment and continue working hard.

“It’ll be one step at a time,” Foley said. “His game is built for higher levels. He’s going to keep succeeding not only because his skill-set is there but because he also works so hard. He never takes a day off. He’s just going to continue to improve.

“Again, the difference in the player he was from last year to this year — he was our top goal-scorer, Mr. Hockey in Mass., as a freshman — it’s just amazing how much he’s improved in 12 months. I think he had a rapid acceleration (two years ago), as well, and I just see him continuing that improvement.

“If he continues to improve at that rate, it’s scary how good he’s going to be.”

This article appeared in the print edition of the May/June 2021 New England Hockey Journal magazine.