Brett Leason (born April 30, 1999) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

winger who is currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He most recently played with the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was selected 56th overall by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in the 2019 NHL entry draft after going undrafted the previous two years.

Playing career

Amateur career

Leason played his minor hockey in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta, for the Calgary Stampeders and the junior Calgary Flames organizations of the Alberta Minor Hockey Association. He was chosen in the third round, 50th overall by the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are an American major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League and based in Kennewick, Washington. Founded in 1966 as the Calgary Buffaloes, the team settled in Kennewick in 1988 after a number of re ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...

(WHL) in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. He earned a silver medal with Calgary North at the 2015 Alberta Cup. Starting the 2016–17 season, Leason earned a spot with the Americans but could not move up in their roster and was traded the following season to the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 198 ...

for a draft pick. After joining the Raiders, Leason blossomed, scoring 15 goals and 32 points in his next 54 games. In the 2018–19 season, Leason led the Raiders in scoring with 36 goals and 89 points. With his solid play, the Raiders earned a first place finish in the league. Leason continued his great play into the WHL playoffs, where he led his team in scoring with 10 goals and 25 points in 22 games, helping the Raiders win the

Ed Chynoweth Cup The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour ...

as champions of the WHL. Leason and the Raiders were invited to the 2019

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

tournament, but finished fourth. Leason was named to the WHL (East) First All-Star Team at the end of the season.

Professional career

He was selected 56th overall by the

of the

(NHL) in the 2019 NHL entry draft after going undrafted the previous two years. On July 11, 2019, Leason signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals. Leason played his first two full professional seasons in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. Leason made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals on October 29, 2021, against the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

. Three days later, he scored his first NHL goal on

Andrei Vasilevskiy Andrei Andreyevich Vasilevskiy (; born 25 July 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, by the Lightning at the 2012 ...

in a 3–2 loss to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. He finished the season with three goals and six points in 36 games with the Capitals. Leason made his

Stanley Cup playoffs The Stanley Cup playoffs () is the annual elimination tournament to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, and the league champion of the National Hockey League (NHL). The four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the NHL's regular s ...

debut on Game 2 of Washington's first round series against the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

replacing Tom Wilson who was injured in Game 1. On June 20, 2022, he re-signed with the Capitals to a two-year, $1.55 million contract. Leason failed to make the Capitals team out of training camp and was placed on waivers on October 9, 2022. On October 10, 2022, Leason was claimed off waivers by the

. He made his Ducks debut in a 6–4 loss to the

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

on October 17. Leason scored his first goal as a Duck against

James Reimer James Reimer (; born March 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reimer has also played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, ...

in a 5–4 win over the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

on November 5. Following his third season with the Ducks in , Leason as a pending restricted free agent was not tendered a qualifying offer, ending his tenure in Anaheim.

International play

Leason also represented

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

at the 2019 World Juniors. He registered three goals and five points in the five games Canada played.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leason, Brett 1999 births Living people Anaheim Ducks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Calgary Canucks players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Hershey Bears players Prince Albert Raiders players Ice hockey people from Calgary Tri-City Americans players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen