Jake Leschyshyn ( ; born March 10, 1999) is an American-born Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Leschyshyn played junior hockey for the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the E ...

and

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

, serving as captain of the latter in 2018–19, and previously played in the NHL for the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...

. He also played in the AHL for the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

and

Henderson Silver Knights The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Henderson, Nevada, that began play in the 2020–21 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays its home games at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. The tea ...

Early life

Leschyshyn was born on March 10, 1999, in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

to parents

Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Gali ...

and Laura. As his father played for the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

of the

, Leschyshyn started playing ice hockey in the state. He participated in organized ice hockey in Colorado from 2004 until 2011 when his family moved to

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Prior to the move, Leschyshyn played with the Colorado Thunderbirds' U12 Pee Wee Major Team.

Playing career

Amateur

Upon moving to Saskatchewan, Leschyshyn played his second year of pee wee AA, as well as bantam AA and midget AAA, in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. While playing with the Saskatoon Bantam AA Stallions of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League in the 2013–14 season, Leschyshyn accumulated 31 goals and 28 assists. As a result of his play, Leschyshyn was drafted sixth overall by the

Red Deer Rebels The Red Deer Rebels are a Western Hockey League junior ice hockey team based in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The Rebels play at the Peavey Mart Centrium. History A "Name the Team" contest ran in Red Deer from October 7 to 17, 1991. The top t ...

in the 2015

WHL Bantam Draft The WHL Bantam Draft is an annual outing, in which the teams of the Western Hockey League select players who have graduated from bantam. The draft's order of selection depends on where the team finishes in the league standings. The teams that mi ...

. Although Leschyshyn signed with the Rebels in July 2014, he was reassigned to the Saskatoon Blazers of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League for the 2014–15 season after attending their training camp. While with the Blazers, he collected 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points through 38 games. In January 2015, Leschyshyn's WHL playing rights were traded to the

in exchange for Connor Gay, a 2016 1st Round pick, 2015 2nd Round pick, and 2017 7th Round pick. As such, Leschyshyn played earned a two-game call up from the Pats in February which saw him make his WHL debut and score his first WHL goal.

Major junior

Upon concluding the 2014–15 season with the Blazers, Leschyshyn joined the Pats full-time in March 2015 for the remainder of their games. He re-joined the Pats for the 2015–16 season where he immediately made an impact on the team by scoring his first WHL hat-trick on November 27, 2015. During the 2016–17 season, he scored 17 goals and 40 points, but missed the remainder of the season after suffering an knee injury. Prior to the 2018–19 season, he was named captain by the Regina Pats after spending the previous season as an alternate captain. However, during the season, he was traded along with fellow teammate Nick Henry to the

Professional

Drafted by the Golden Knights in 2017, he signed an entry-level contract on June 1, 2018, and played his first NHL game on October 14, 2021 after key players like Mark Stone and

Max Pacioretty Maximillian Kolenda Pacioretty (born November 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pacioretty was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2007 NHL ...

dealt with key injuries. He scored his first career NHL goal and registered his first career points during a 7-4 victory against the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

. He started in the 18 games during the first half of the season with the Golden Knights, but was re-assigned to the

. On August 13, 2022, he signed a three-year deal to remain with the Golden Knights. However, he was waived by Vegas for assignment to the AHL on January 10, 2023, after not registering a point in 22 games. On January 11, 2023, he was claimed off waivers by the

, one day after the Golden Knights waived him. He started in 13 games with the Rangers during the season before being placed on waivers and being sent down to the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

, which ultimately paved the way for the Rangers to trade for

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

winger

Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pick ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leschyshyn, Jake 1999 births Living people Canadian ice hockey centres Chicago Wolves players Hartford Wolf Pack players Henderson Silver Knights players Lethbridge Hurricanes players New York Rangers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Regina Pats players Vegas Golden Knights draft picks Vegas Golden Knights players