Leonard was sitting with his Boston College teammates Monday when he received a text with a dinner invitation from Alex Ovechkin. Was it real?

The Boston College hockey players were in attendance at Madison Square Garden to see the NHL debut of Rangers rookie Gabe Perreault.

Leonard finished third in the NCAA in goals and fourth in points as a freshman last season, registering 31 goals and 60 points in 41 games.

Will Smith, Leonard’s center and former National Team Development Program linemate, chose to leave BC after his freshman season and sign with the San Jose Sharks. Leonard did not follow. He wanted one more go with the Eagles alongside fellow sophomores Drew Fortescue, Jacob Fowler and Gabe Perreault, all NHL picks. Leonard did not regret it.

The Washington Capitals are set to further fortify their roster ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals, who own the Eastern Conference's best record with 103 points in 73 games, are expected to sign top prospect Ryan Leonard following Boston College's defeat in the Manchester Regional final against Denver University,

As expected, Ryan Leonard, who was selected by the Washington Capitals eighth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday and could be in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Bruins at TD Garden.

A right-shot winger, Leonard is a power forward who scored at will for Boston College. In his two years with the Eagles, Leonard had 61 goals in 78 games.

The Washington Capitals signed Boston College forward Ryan Leonard, and the New York Rangers signed his linemate, Gabe Perreault.

Leonard won a battle on the wall and then two races to loose pucks to keep the play alive before feeding Aliaksei Protas at the point, which began a tic-tac-toe passing sequence that led to Dylan Strome’s goal with 9:23 left in the game.