Brett Leason

Brett Leason (born April 30, 1999) is a Canadian ice hockey winger with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 56th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after going undrafted the previous two years.

Brett Leason
Leason with the Washington Capitals in 2021
Born (1999-04-30) April 30, 1999 (age 25)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb)
PositionRight wing
ShootsRight
NHL team
Former teams
Anaheim Ducks
Washington Capitals
NHL draft56th overall, 2019
Washington Capitals
Playing career2019–present

Playing career

Amateur career

Leason played his minor hockey in Calgary, Alberta, for the Calgary Stampeders and the junior Calgary Flames organizations of the Alberta Minor Hockey Association. He was chosen in the third round, 50th overall by the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.[1] He earned a silver medal with Calgary North at the 2015 Alberta Cup.[2] Starting the 2016–17 season, Leason earned a spot with the Americans but could not move up in their roster and was traded the following season to the Prince Albert Raiders for a draft pick.[2][3] After joining the Raiders, Leason blossomed, scoring 15 goals and 32 points in his next 54 games. In the 2018–19 season, Leason led the Raiders in scoring with 36 goals and 89 points. With his solid play, the Raiders earned a first place finish in the league. Leason continued his great play into the WHL playoffs, where he led his team in scoring with 10 goals and 25 points in 22 games, helping the Raiders win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as champions of the WHL.[2] Leason and the Raiders were invited to the 2019 Memorial Cup tournament, but finished fourth.[4] Leason was named to the WHL (East) First All-Star Team at the end of the season.[5]

Professional career

He was selected 56th overall by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after going undrafted the previous two years.[6] On July 11, 2019, Leason signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals.[5] Leason played his first two full professional seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears. Leason made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals on October 29, 2021, against the Arizona Coyotes.[7] Three days later, he scored his first NHL goal on Andrei Vasilevskiy in a 3–2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[8] He finished the season with three goals and six points in 36 games with the Capitals. Leason made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut on Game 2 of Washington's first round series against the Florida Panthers replacing Tom Wilson who was injured in Game 1.[9] On June 20, 2022, he re-signed with the Capitals to a two-year, $1.55 million contract.[10] Leason failed to make the Capitals team out of training camp and was placed on waivers on October 9, 2022.[11]

On October 10, 2022, Leason was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks.[12] He made his Ducks debut in a 6–4 loss to the New York Rangers on October 17.[13][14] Leason scored his first goal as a Duck against James Reimer in a 5–4 win over the San Jose Sharks on November 5.[15]

International play

Leason also represented Team Canada at the 2019 World Juniors. He registered three goals and five points in the five games Canada played.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2015–16Calgary CanucksAJHL10000
2015–16Tri-City AmericansWHL10000
2016–17Calgary CanucksAJHL10000
2016–17Tri-City AmericansWHL6881018640000
2017–18Tri-City AmericansWHL121012
2017–18Prince Albert RaidersWHL541517321470330
2018–19Prince Albert RaidersWHL55365389282210152515
2019–20Hershey BearsAHL503111412
2020–21Hershey BearsAHL33911208
2021–22Hershey BearsAHL3167131421010
2021–22Washington CapitalsNHL36336410000
2022–23Anaheim DucksNHL5463914
2023–24Anaheim DucksNHL6811112214
NHL totals1582017373210000

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2019CanadaWJC6th53250
Junior totals53250

Awards and honors

AwardYearRef
NHL
E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence2019[17]

References