Ryan Leonard was still a college student this time last year. Now, he’s a rising star who counts his Capitals teammates — including Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson — among his mentors.
Leonard’s father will join those on-ice inspirations for the team’s annual “Mentors’ Trip.” More than a dozen brothers, fathers and other impactful loved ones will join the Capitals for their midseason tradition as they push toward next month’s Olympic break.
Leonard, who first joined the Capitals roster last spring after a standout career at Boston College, is the unquestioned little brother in Washington’s tight-knit locker room. He crashed with teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois for his first six months as a professional.
He only moved into his own place after Dubois’ wife announced that she was pregnant this fall — the married couple needed their space. The bonds extend beyond those two players, though.
As Leonard spoke with reporters on Thursday, goaltender Logan Thompson jokingly tossed used tape in his direction.
On the ice, enforcer Brandon Duhaime has stood up for his rookie. Leonard injured his shoulder after absorbing a hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Jacob Trouba. When the two clubs met this week, Duhaime hunted down Trouba and dropped his gloves for a fight.
“This locker room is just a big brotherhood. It’s unbelievable. And I’m extremely lucky to be a part of this, and just so fortunate,” said Leonard, who ranks seventh on the team in goals and assists. “I’m having so much fun.”
Being able to join teammates like Duhaime for routine, home-cooked dinners has helped ease the professional transition, the rookie said.
“It’s obviously been a different lifestyle, first off, just a lot different than college,” Leonard noted. “It was a big adjustment at the start, and it really just took maybe a little bit to kind of get into a routine and really find what works for you. … [Duhaime] has been great, whether going to his house for dinner or just hanging out.”
Now, Leonard is bringing his original hockey guide to meet his veterans.
“He was always the one who drove me around and brought me on every trip,” the 20-year-old said, noting that his mother worked full-time as a nurse. “My dad was always doing the car ride.”
The Capitals’ 16th annual Mentors’ Trip gives fathers, brothers and former coaches the chance to accompany current players to practice and a couple of games. Coach Spencer Carbery, who will bring his own father along, treasures the opportunity.
“It just brings me back to a minor hockey rink, where they’d be grabbing their sons after the game,” he said, noting the postgame fist bumps and conversation on the road with the mentors. “You get a glimpse into a lot of our players, who I know so well, their family life. Sometimes you get some good nuggets and good stories of them as their younger selves.”
Dylan McIlrath entered the locker room on Thursday flanked by his brother, leading to praise of “Double Big Mac Sauce,” referring to the defenseman’s nickname.
“It never gets old,” Carbery said of the Mentors’ Trip.
Washington’s players have historically performed well with mentors in attendance, securing a 20-9-0 record on the trips since 2008.
The fathers arrive at a convenient time, as the Capitals are trying to claw toward the top of a crowded Metropolitan Division before February’s midseason break.
“The way I saw this month was: homestand, Mentors’ Trip, homestand, Western Canada. Then the four, five games we have before the Olympic Break,” Carbery said. “It breaks up a little bit of this final push. It comes in at a good time.”
The Capitals are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division. They hold the conference’s top wild card spot.
The team travels to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Friday night before heading to Nashville to play the Predators on Sunday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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