Ryan Leonard is the only expected representative in the Washington capital on the 2025 National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) rookie showcase on September 3, 2025. The annual event is held at Medstar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. It is about 20 minutes from the Capital One Arena in Washington.
The showcase is an opportunity for Upper Deck, an official trading card partner of NHLPA and NHL, to collect videos and pictures of the first official trading card and other promotional materials for the player in 2025-26 and beyond. Vincent Iorio represented the capital in the 2024 NHLPA rookie show.
Leonard brings NHL experience to 2025 display cabinet
Leonard skated in nine regular season games in the 2024-25 season and scored his first NHL goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4, 2025. He completed the regular season with a goal, no assist and a rating of more than 4 losses, and each game lasted more than 14 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u6ufn3a-lw
In the 2025 NHL playoffs, Leonard scored a Phase 2 goal against Dylan Strome in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadaens in Game 1 to win his sole playoffs. Still, he scored nearly 10 minutes in eight games with nearly 10 minutes of ice time per night.
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Leonard will join the 2025 NHLPA Rookie Fair, joined by former Boston College (BC) teammate Gabe Perreault. The 20-year-old winger has skated in five games with the New York Rangers in 2024-25 and is still seeking his first NHL point. Perreault is a prominent offensive player in BC, scoring 108 points in 73 NCAA games and averaging 1.47 points per game in a competitive college environment.
Islanders have 2 new shows in Arlington
New York Islander Center Marc Gatcomb has the most NHL experience on this year’s NHLPA rookie showcase. The 26-year-old Center scored eight goals in 39 games for the Islanders in 2024-25, scoring a total of nine points. Over the past four seasons, the ill-player forward has drawn the path to the NHL after the 117-season American Hockey League (AHL) game, playing six games against ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings in 2022-23.
New Islander teammate Matthew Schaefer will join Virginia. The first overall choice in the 2025 NHL Draft seems ready to start the season after skating for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2024-25 regular season. Schaefer has signed his entry-level contract to limit his options to NHL duties or return to Erie in the 2025-26 season.
The NHLPA rookie showcase box is the annual examination right for emerging NHL players. Each NHL team is expected to be represented; however, players may vary based on availability in the first week of September. For now, Leonard will be the only player representing the capital at this year’s event.
