University of Massachusets Athletics
Massachusetts’ Leonard A Top 10 Finalist For The Hobey Baker Award
March 18, 2020 | Hockey
The nation’s leading goal scorer is the third Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist in program history.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts hockey junior forward John Leonard has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the top honor in Division I men's college hockey. Leonard is just the third Minuteman in program history to be named a finalist, joining 2019 Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar and UMass Hall of Famer and All-American Thomas Poeck who was a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist in 2004.
The nation's leading goal scorer with 27 goals in 2019-20, Leonard paced the Minutemen with 37 points, chipping in 10 helpers to go along with his 27 tallies and was +17 in 33 games. The First-Team Hockey East All-Star's 21 goals in league play were not only a program record, but marked the most by any Hockey East player since Cam Atkinson had 24 for Boston College in 2010-11. In total, 29 of Leonard's 37 points came in Hockey East contests and included five game-winning goals over 23 league games. He became UMass' first-ever winner of the Hockey East PNC Bank Three Stars Award, as well.
Nationally, Leonard also ranked first in goals per-game this season at 0.82, tied for first in game-winning goals with six and was one of just three players to record two hat tricks in 2019-20. He also finished in the top-20 in points per-game, coming in at 16th in the nation at a 1.12 clip.
Having a reputation for coming through in the clutch, Leonard led the nation in third period goals (16), third period points (21) and game-winning goals (four) scored in the final frame. He tied for the nation's lead in game-winning goals (six) overall and hat tricks (two) and posted a nation's-best seven multi-goal games, 21 even strength goals and 21 goals in UMass wins.
While many critics predicted UMass would see a drop off in success after the departure of Makar and second-round draft pick Mario Ferraro for the NHL at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, Leonard helped the program remain contenders for a second straight NCAA Tournament berth. UMass finished eighth in the PairWise rankings and spent 22 straight weeks in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
With UMass ravaged with injuries over the final month of the season to the tune of 26 man-games lost, Leonard put the team on his back, leading the nation with 2.14 points per-game, 1.43 goals per-game and 10 goals since February 1. He also had three-game winners, helping UMass go 5-2-0 over that stretch and secure the No. 2 spot in the Hockey East standings.
A three-time Hockey East player of the Week selection this season, Leonard etched his name into the UMass record book in 2019-20. He set the program's single-season Division I era goals record, which ranks fourth all-time, and became just the sixth member of the 50-goal, 100-point club in UMass history, the first to reach the milestone as a junior in the Division I era. Leonard knocked off both the single-season (6) and career records for game-winning goals (10), as well. He ranks fourth all-time in program history career goals (56), tied for fifth in career plus/minus (30), tied for eighth in career points (105) and tied for eighth in career power-play goals (16).
Phase II of Hobey Baker fan voting has opened at www.hobeybaker.com/vote where votes can be cast daily.
The nation's leading goal scorer with 27 goals in 2019-20, Leonard paced the Minutemen with 37 points, chipping in 10 helpers to go along with his 27 tallies and was +17 in 33 games. The First-Team Hockey East All-Star's 21 goals in league play were not only a program record, but marked the most by any Hockey East player since Cam Atkinson had 24 for Boston College in 2010-11. In total, 29 of Leonard's 37 points came in Hockey East contests and included five game-winning goals over 23 league games. He became UMass' first-ever winner of the Hockey East PNC Bank Three Stars Award, as well.
Nationally, Leonard also ranked first in goals per-game this season at 0.82, tied for first in game-winning goals with six and was one of just three players to record two hat tricks in 2019-20. He also finished in the top-20 in points per-game, coming in at 16th in the nation at a 1.12 clip.
Having a reputation for coming through in the clutch, Leonard led the nation in third period goals (16), third period points (21) and game-winning goals (four) scored in the final frame. He tied for the nation's lead in game-winning goals (six) overall and hat tricks (two) and posted a nation's-best seven multi-goal games, 21 even strength goals and 21 goals in UMass wins.
While many critics predicted UMass would see a drop off in success after the departure of Makar and second-round draft pick Mario Ferraro for the NHL at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, Leonard helped the program remain contenders for a second straight NCAA Tournament berth. UMass finished eighth in the PairWise rankings and spent 22 straight weeks in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
With UMass ravaged with injuries over the final month of the season to the tune of 26 man-games lost, Leonard put the team on his back, leading the nation with 2.14 points per-game, 1.43 goals per-game and 10 goals since February 1. He also had three-game winners, helping UMass go 5-2-0 over that stretch and secure the No. 2 spot in the Hockey East standings.
A three-time Hockey East player of the Week selection this season, Leonard etched his name into the UMass record book in 2019-20. He set the program's single-season Division I era goals record, which ranks fourth all-time, and became just the sixth member of the 50-goal, 100-point club in UMass history, the first to reach the milestone as a junior in the Division I era. Leonard knocked off both the single-season (6) and career records for game-winning goals (10), as well. He ranks fourth all-time in program history career goals (56), tied for fifth in career plus/minus (30), tied for eighth in career points (105) and tied for eighth in career power-play goals (16).
Phase II of Hobey Baker fan voting has opened at www.hobeybaker.com/vote where votes can be cast daily.
Players Mentioned
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