Amherst’s native Ryan Leonard is committed to Boston College hockey

Ryan Leonard wanted to start his own legacy, not follow his families.

Amherst’s native and former Pope Francis striker announced on Sunday he would play hockey at Boston College In Instagram post.

It’s not against any other schools, but I’ve always wanted to go to a Boston school, and it felt like home, Leonard said. B.C.

External factors seemed to push him toward his hometown school and his team, UMass. His older brother John Leonard played hockey under Greg Carvel for three years and is now a member of the San Jose Sharks. His father, John Leonard Sr. was a UMass basketball assistant from 2001 to 2005, and her sister Alyssa Leonard worked in the UMass marketing department for nearly three years.

But that was not Ryan Leonards ’path.

Nothing against UMass. I know John loved it there, and the coaching staff is amazing. It’s not against any program, it just hasn’t been my dream, Ryan Leonard said. My brother’s dream was to play in front of his hometown. I wanted to play at Beanpot.

He also considered Boston University and the Northeast, but quickly landed on the Eagles and Chestnut Hill.

I love campus, said Leonard, 16. I fell in love the day I first saw it.

Hell to join one of the most successful programs in college hockey history. Boston College has won five national championships. Eagles coach Jerry York is the most successful coach in college hockey history with a 1108 win. He has been in BC since 1994, and the program has produced 18 first-round NHL draft selections and four Hobey Baker winners during his tenure.

BC battled North Dakota’s No. 1 ranking for most of last season, but fell in the St. Cloud State regional finals.

They have a huge amount of success that goes far there, Leonard said. I hope I can be a part of it.

However, he still has time. Leonard will join BC as part of his 2023 recruitment class, he said. He won his second consecutive Bessone Award for Western Massachusetts Player of the Year after Pope Francis ’new 20-goal season and joins the U.S. men’s national team development program, a two-year residency program for high-performance players until he becomes eligible to play for the Eagles. Leonard will leave for Plymouth, Mich., For the team at the end of the month, he said.

Kyle Grabowski is available at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.