Amateur career
Leason played his minor hockey in Calgary, 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 of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. [1] He earned a silver medal with Calgary North at the 2015 Alberta Cup. [2] 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 for a draft pick. [2] [3] 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 as champions of the WHL. [2] Leason and the Raiders were invited to the 2019 Memorial Cup tournament, but finished fourth. [4] Leason was named to the WHL (East) First All-Star Team at the end of the season. [5]
Professional career
He was selected 56th overall by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2019 NHL entry draft after going undrafted the previous two years. [6] On July 11, 2019, Leason signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals. [5] Leason played his first two full professional seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears. Leason made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals on October 29, 2021, against the Arizona Coyotes. [7] Three days later, he scored his first NHL goal on Andrei Vasilevskiy in a 3–2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. [8] He finished the season with three goals and six points in 36 games with the Capitals. Leason made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut on Game 2 of Washington's first round series against the Florida Panthers replacing Tom Wilson who was injured in Game 1. [9] On June 20, 2022, he re-signed with the Capitals to a two-year, $1.55 million contract. [10] Leason failed to make the Capitals team out of training camp and was placed on waivers on October 9, 2022. [11]
On October 10, 2022, Leason was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks. [12] He made his Ducks debut in a 6–4 loss to the New York Rangers on October 17. [13] [14] Leason scored his first goal as a Duck against James Reimer in a 5–4 win over the San Jose Sharks on November 5. [15]
Following his third season with the Ducks in 2024–25, Leason as a pending restricted free agent was not tendered a qualifying offer, ending his tenure in Anaheim. [16]
