Ryerson Leenders – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Ryerson Leenders

2023-24 Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Date of Birth: Jun. 1, 2006
Place of Birth: Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 176 pounds
Catches: L
Position: G
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible

Rankings

Ryerson Leenders is one of the best goalies available in the 2024 NHL Draft thanks to his fantastic athleticism and great awareness. In 46 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Mississauga Steelheads, he posted a league-high .909 save percentage (SV%), a 24-17-4 record and three shutouts. That performance earned him a spot at the Kubota Top Prospects Game, where he stopped 19 of 20 shots, and a backup role at the U18 World Juniors, where he made just one start but helped Canada win 7-1, turning away 25 of 26 shots from Team Switzerland.

Ryerson Leenders Mississauga Steelheads
Ryerson Leenders, Mississauga Steelheads (Terry Wilson / OHL Images)

Leenders’ success comes from his incredible ability to track the play. He squares himself up to the puck carrier and can quickly drop into a low butterfly, cutting off the five-hole and both low corners. However, his top isn’t as exposed as it might look, as he can just as quickly get up into a more hybrid position. No matter what the shooter tries to do, he is rarely caught off guard and looks calm in the net.

Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide

Although he’s a decent positional goalie, he’s not as strong in that area as some of his draft-eligible peers. Instead, Leenders relies on his athleticism and reflexes to make saves. He uses his strong anticipation to predict where the puck will go, and once he commits, he doesn’t second-guess himself. That level of confidence is promising to see in a young goalie and should help him achieve his dream of making the NHL.

Other Draft Profiles

Ryerson Leenders – NHL Draft Projection

Despite his successful sophomore season, Leenders has dropped in some rankings after he lost the starting job in Mississauga to rookie goalie Jack Ivankovic. Ivankovic (2025 draft-eligible) put up some great numbers to end the season, while Leenders struggled with consistency. That gave the Steelheads a strong tandem to rely on in the playoffs against the Sudbury Wolves, and Leenders opened the series with a 28-save shutout. However, an injury in Game 2 gave Ivankovic back the spotlight and, more importantly, pushed Leenders out of it.

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There’s also the issue of his size; NHL Central Scouting lists him at 6 feet, 165 pounds, whereas the OHL website has him slightly bigger at 6-foot-1. That’s a bit undersized for modern NHL goalies and will hurt his draft stock. While he should still be one of the first goalies off the board, he probably won’t hear his name called until the third round at the earliest.

Quotables

“Besides a recent snafu that has seen the Steelheads struggle a bit, Leenders has been outstanding this year. He routinely faces 35-plus shots a game and seems to perform better the busier he is. He was riding a 7-1-0 record with two shutouts not too long ago, so you’ll have to look past the recent drubbings to get a good read on him. Still, Leenders looks like the best goalie in a draft for any team looking for depth in the crease.” – Steven Ellis, Daily FaceOff

“Leenders’ athleticism is what separates him from George. He is never down-and-out of a play, he always seems to find a way to come across and make the acrobatic save. Leenders has the ability to make game-changing saves, and that intangible is critical at the NHL level. He checks all of the boxes athletically, he moves across the ice quicker than most, and he has high anticipation and reaction time.” – Joely Stockl, The Hockey News

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“Leenders’ .909 save percentage led the OHL this season and he played well on the bigger stages as well: He stopped 19/20 in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game (.950), 26/27 in his lone start at U18 worlds against Switzerland (.963), and 42 of 45 in two playoff appearances for the Steelheads (.933). He’s not the biggest goalie but he anticipates the play well, he’s good going post to post and athletic in stretches, he competes in the net and he’s got good composure. He’s also a strong positional goalie who gets in and out of his butterfly quickly, seals his posts, tracks pucks well, recovers quickly, and has good feet and hands. He should be a mid-to-late-round pick.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic (from ‘2024 NHL Draft ranking: Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov lead Scott Wheeler’s final top 100,’ The Athletic – 03/06/2024)

Strengths

  • Quickness in moving around the net and into different positions
  • Athletic
  • Strong awareness and tracking

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

  • Undersized
  • Inconsistent
  • Not as strong positionally as some others

NHL Potential

It’s always difficult to predict how well a goalie will do in the NHL since there are so many factors that can turn a little-known netminder into a starter. However, Leenders has all the tools to be a number-one goalie in the future. He reads the ice very well and has a high level of intelligence when it comes to predicting the play much like a strong two-way center. While he will need time to work on becoming more consistent game-to-game, he’s certainly worth the investment.

Risk – Reward Analysis

Risk- 3/5, Reward 4/5

Awards/Achievements

  • 2023-24 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medal
  • 2023-24 OHL Best Save Percentage
  • 2023-24 U18 WJC Gold Medal

Ryerson Leenders Stats

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