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The injury to Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane midway through last month necessitated the call-up of a player from the Grand Rapids Griffins, and they decided that it would be forward John Leonard.
Leonard, who signed a one-year contract with the organization during the offseason, had been leading all American Hockey League goal scorers with 19 tallies in 20 games at the time of his call-up to the Red Wings.
He performed well in Detroit, scoring twice while adding two assists in eight games before being sent back down. But now that rookie Nate Danielson has been sent to the Griffins, Leonard once again got the call.
Leonard, who was in Detroit's lineup for their 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday evening, said that he considers it an honor to be whom the Red Wings summoned once again.
"It's an honor, I want to be a guy that they can go to for different situations and whatever the case may be," Leonard said. "Just trying to make a positive impact on the game in any way I can, whether it's a good defensive play or blocking a shot, or trying to chip in offensively where I can. Obviously, you're in different situations in each game, but I just try and come in with that mindset every day."
Leonard, who was selected in the sixth round (182nd overall) by the San Jose Sharks in 2018, had 70 games of experience in the NHL with the Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Arizona Coyotes coming into this season.
While the majority of his professional experience has been in the AHL, he said that with each passing NHL contest, he gets more comfortable.
"I think every game you play at this level, you'll naturally be a little more comfortable," he said. "I think they've done a great job in helping me settle in."
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Head coach Todd McLellan believes Leonard’s latest call-up is a good indicator of not only his own growth, but of the confidence the organization has in its AHL pipeline, which has been built up into one of the most highly regarded in the NHL since the return of Steve Yzerman as the club's GM in 2019.
"It's rewarding for the individual; he wants to be in the NHL, and it's rewarding for the team in Grand Rapids," McLellan said. "They're playing well enough that the players have confidence, and they're ready to go. The staff down there has done a tremendous job, and it's like leaving a classroom and moving down the hallway to a more difficult classroom.
"When he went (back to Grand Rapids), I said that we believe in him and think he's an NHL player, and it will be his job to do that night in and night out, over and over and over again," McLellan continued. "He's had opportunities with other teams, and it didn't quite work out, but we're giving him that chance now, and would love nothing more than to see him make good on it."
Despite his recent absence from the AHL, Leonard is still in the top three of goal scoring with 20 tallies in 23 games. Quinn Hutson and Arthur Kaliyev have 22 and 21 goals, respectively, but have done so in 28 and 33 games played.
While there's no telling how long Leonard's most recent call-up to the Red Wings will last, he's grateful to be part of a welcoming group and intends to make the most of it.
"Different guys are talking to me, and that goes a long way," Leonard said. "It's a fun group to be a part of, and I'm just taking it day by day."
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